


Father (stark!daughter AU)

by SwiftieWhovian13



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Family Problems, Slow Build, emotional issues, this is a tumblr fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-06-09 10:03:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 32,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15265092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwiftieWhovian13/pseuds/SwiftieWhovian13
Summary: When Tony Stark finds out that he had a teenage daughter through a phone call, he was over the moon at the thought of being a father. Unfortunately, his daughter is distant, difficult and refuses to even acknowledge him as her dad. He never would have thought in a million years that it would be a certain Peter Parker who would change everything.https://marvelsswansong.tumblr.com/





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> THIS IS ORIGINALLY A TUMBLR FIC.
> 
> Oh, I just started a tumblr so go find me and follow me there: @marvelsswansong. 
> 
> I promise I'll follow back and love you if you do it. Okay, I hope you enjoy the fic!
> 
> DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED!
> 
> -Summer xoxo

**THIS IS A TUMBLR FIC AND I JUST GOT A TUMBLR, SO PLEASE GO FOLLOW ME @marvelsswansong. (sorry for the self promo but a bitch is desperate and new to tumblr so)**

* * *

 

With the taste of the bitter vodka running down his throat came the sweet sensation of burning, the intense feeling distracting Tony from the feeling of missing Pepper. He closed his eyes, relishing the few moments of forgetfulness before the sensation passed and the truth of the situation washed over him again like a tidal wave.

Reality was unforgiving and the reality was that Pepper was tired of Tony’s antics. He promised to change for her, she yelled, but she cried and told him that “some people don’t change.” Tony’s fist curled around his drink at the thought, how dare she accuse him of not trying to change! He postponed several of his Iron Man projects to spend more time with her. He always let Pepper know if he was going to be late for a date or had to cancel one for a meeting. He stopped being sleeping around and stuck with her through every party, every social event, through every fucking thing.

_“It’s not about your actions, Tony.” yelled Pepper, tears now freely streaming down her face._

_“Oh yeah? Then what the hell am I supposed to do?” asked Tony, his voice rising along with his anger._

_Pepper quickly approached Tony and stood her ground in front of him, her determined blue eyes meeting his hardened hazel ones._

_“You don’t let go, Tony. You carry all the weight in the world with you and you refuse to let the past be the past or accept your mistakes.”_

_“Well sometimes emotions are hard to handle when you’re out there busting your ass to save the Earth from total destruction 24/7.”_

_Pepper’s hand shot up to touch Tony’s cheek softly, the gentle action breaking Tony out of his angered state of mind._

_“That’s the thing, Tony. You don’t need to be a hero all the time. And I-I understand that it’s selfish for me to ask you to become more emotionally available and open but… I need someone who is. And right now Tony, you’re not.”_

_With that, Pepper walked over to his desk and slapped down the manila folder she was holding to her chest before walking out of the room briskly. Tony felt tears starting to brim around his eyes and panic surging through his heart, his conscious begging him to run after Pepper and tell her that he could change- emotionally and mentally as well._

_But he knew that would be a lie._

_“I’m too fucked up.” muttered Tony to himself, running a hand down his face in disgrace._

_With a heavy heart, he moved to sit down on his desk and eyed the manila folder Pepper threw down. With trembling hands, he opened the folder and stared at the big bold letters written on the papers._

_LETTER OF RESIGNATION_

_He stared at the paper in disbelief before covering his face with his hands. And for the first time in 10 years, he cried._

_‘And now here I am.’_ thought Tony bitterly, swirling the alcoholic drink in his glass as he gazed at the clear liquid spin. _‘Feeling all sorry for myself and drinking myself to death.’_ It was rather ironic, thought Tony, that Pepper was the reason he stopped drinking and here he was: drinking like an alcoholic at 3am on a Thursday.

“Sir.”

Tony ignored JARVIS, clearly not in the mood to be bothered by anyone else.

“Sir.”

Tony waved his hand in dismissal before groaning out: “Leave me alone, JARVIS. If it’s an email, it can wait. If it’s a phone call, pass it over to my secretary.”

“But sir, I think you would like to answer this call.”

Tony picked up the vodka bottle and lazily read the label as he poured himself another cup of vodka.

“Oh yeah? Is it the Queen of England calling? Cause if not, I don’t give a shit.”

Tony quickly downed another shot of alcohol as JARVIS spoke.

“No sir. It’s a call from the Lower Manhattan Hospital. They say that your daughter has been in a car accident.”

The word ‘daughter’ caused his eyes to bulge and he began to cough wildly, the accusation stinging his throat far worse than the alcohol did.

“Accept the call. Now.”

“Hello? Is this Tony Stark speaking?” said a feminine voice, her worried tone echoing through the room.

“Yes, this is Tony Stark. Look, there must have been a mix-up. I don’t have nor have I ever had a daughter-”

“Forgive me for interrupting, Mr.Stark but this girl is undeniably your daughter.” replied the voice, her firm tone putting him at unease.

“How can you be so sure?” he asked, distrust lacing his words.

“Look, Mr.Stark, this would all be far easier to explain in person. Could you possibly make it to the hospital right now?”

Tony sighed.

“Fine. Give me 20 minutes.”

* * *

The car ride to the hospital was, without a doubt, the longest ride of his life. His drunken mind was swimming with questions, as he was flipping through all his flings and trying to think of which of them could have had a kid and didn’t bother telling him about it. He was sure he forced Happy to run a couple of red lights, but those problems were at the back of his mind.

“What the hell, Tony? Why am I driving you to a hospital at 3am?” asked Happy, clearly tired and grumpy that he was woken up so early on a Thursday without prior notice.

Tony didn’t respond, clenching his fists in anxiety as he looked out at the New York city skyline in deep thought.

_‘The lady has to be mistaken. I mean, people say crazy shit to me all the time. Maybe the girl convinced the people at the hospital that she is my daughter when she isn’t.’_

All of these doubts swirling in his head did nothing to calm his erratically beating heart, a problem that he couldn’t be sure to whether to blame the situation or the amount of alcohol he had before getting in the car. He had never been so glad to reach a destination when Happy pulled up at the entrance of the hospital.

“Wait for me.”

And with that, he opened the door and quickly walked into the hospital.

* * *

Aware that he had bloodshot eyes, Tony was glad that he always kept sunglasses hung around his suit pocket as he slipped them on and began to look around the first floor. Considering the time of the day, the only people hanging around were hospital personnels and a couple of people who looked like they were families of emergency patients who were just rushed in to the ER.

_‘How the hell am I going to find that lady and my supposed daughter-’_

“Mr.Stark!”

The familiar voice from the phone called out from his left, and he slightly lowered his sunglasses to get a better look at the lady who was quickly approaching him.

“My name is Cheryl, pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

She seemed quite young (mid thirties at most), dressed in a casual combination of a purple sweater and blue jeans: an attire far too informal for a hospital employee. Her short blonde hair was tucked neatly behind both her ears and her blue eyes shined brightly up into his, her eyes having the same light blue shade as Pepper’s. He ignored the pang of pain in his heart as he shook hands with the woman, who began to turn around and walk towards the elevators.

“Come, I’ll lead you to the patient’s room.”

“You work here?” asked Tony as the elevator doors slid shut.

“No, but I work with your daughter on a regular basis.”

“Work? So my supposed daughter is old enough to be working?”

The doors slid open into a long white hallway with wooden doors on each side, as Cheryl walked before him and responded.

“No, your daughter is still a teen. I say I’ve worked with her on a regular basis because I work for child protective services. I’ve been assigned by the government to be her caretaker for some time.”

The thought of his daughter possibly being in care of child services instead of her own mother caused his blood to boil, even if he wasn’t sure whether or not this girl was really his.

“Oh really? What happened to her mother?” asked Tony angrily, his jaw clenching.

Cheryl shook her head sideways as she stopped at a door with the number “415” painted on the front.

“I’m afraid that’s not my business to discuss. Perhaps you can ask her yourself?”

With that, she opened the door and Tony held his breath. Lying on a small rectangular bed and covered in thin blue sheets, lay the body of a young girl who was hooked up to more IV machines and tubes then he could count. He carefully approached the bed, his eyes scanning her face for hopes of recognition. Frustratingly, he found none.

He saw that you looked like you were in your late teens and that you had (your hair length) (your hair color) hair. Upon closer inspection, he realized that you did indeed look like someone he knew, but he just couldn’t place his finger on it.

“Recognize her?” asked Cheryl, closing the door softly behind her.

Tony whipped around to face her before replying.

“Not really… But she looks really familiar, yet I just can’t place my finger on who. It’s like I have deja vu or something….”

As he trailed off, Cheryl reached inside her bag and handed him a large binder. Tony tentatively stared at her before opening it, the photo at the front bringing back a flood of memories.

“Ashley Miller….”

“Ah, so you recognize her mother?”

His eyes left the photo on the clear binder and looked at your face, the resemblance clear upon analysis.

“Yeah, Ashley Miller. We dated for 6 months before I broke it off with her for….”

The bitter memories now began to bite at his tongue, his throat drying at the memory of him breaking up with your mother.

“For what?”

“Never mind what. The point is, this was like more than 10 years ago… I don’t understand. Where is she?”

“Dead.” replied Cheryl with contempt, her tone rather angry instead of sympathetic.

Shock coursed through his veins, before being replaced with curiosity.

“Dead? How?”

“Car crash. The same one that your daughter was in and put her in this state. She survived, her mother didn’t.”

Tony looked around the empty room as he spoke.

“If my daughter was still with her mom, how come none of her relatives are here?”

“Ashley didn’t have any siblings or cousins. Her parents died early of cancer and Ashley was an… isolationist among other things. Didn’t really have friends or connections in her small community. I only knew her because my job required me to keep watch on your daughter. I was also only notified of this crash because I was put in as their emergency contact for cases.”

“Okay…. But most importantly, how do you know that she’s my daughter?” asked Tony, closing the binder and pointing at your sleeping figure.

“Well, aside from the obvious clues that you knew her mother and you had history with her… When she came into the hospital, she was losing a lot of blood and they needed an emergency blood transfusion. They couldn’t find any hospital records of her so they had to take a blood sample to find a match for the process, and they traced her lineage back to you and her mother.”

Shit. A DNA match. That wasn’t refutable.

“And it’s a complete match? Like they are over 50% sure that she’s my daughter?”

“Yes, Mr.Stark. I’ve been told that the analysis has been carefully done and double checked- they are sure you are her father.”

“Are you done with the speech?” piped up a new voice from behind Tony.

* * *

The last thing you remembered was that you were arguing with your mother about something when a large truck rammed into the side of the car- a blur of flashing lights and broken glass searing itself to your memory. You remembered the car spinning out of control and flipping over, the force of the turn knocking the wind out of you and the pain from the glass shards being amplified by the scorching hot flames that were beginning to come out of the back of the car. There was screaming, shouting, and the sound of the fire behind you crackling as your conscious began to slip away. 

The next thing you know, you can hear the steady beeping sound of a heart monitor and two people talking. You recognize the first one immediately: it’s Cheryl- she’s been keeping tabs on your mother and making sure that you were safe ever since child services responded to a distress call by your neighbour five years ago.

The second voice is familiar as well, but it takes you awhile to realize who it is.

_‘Holy shit, it’s Tony Stark.’_

The shock ebbs away when you begin to wonder why the hell would Tony Stark, the genius billionaire, be in a hospital room with you.

“How do you know that she’s my daughter?” you hear Tony ask.

That question causes you to immediately want to wake up and start asking questions, but you try to remain calm and stay asleep to listen in on their conversation.

“Well, aside from the obvious clues that you knew her mother and you had history with her… When she came into the hospital, she was losing a lot of blood and they needed an emergency blood transfusion. They couldn’t find any hospital records of her so they had to take a blood sample to find a match for the process, and they traced her lineage back to you and her mother.”

The shock you felt earlier from having Tony Stark in the room was quickly replaced by anger. So this was your father. This was your asshole, dirty, douchebag father who was too good for your mom and ran away from having any responsibility.

“And it’s a complete match? Like they are over 50% sure that she’s my daughter?” you heard Tony say, panic evident in his voice.

_‘Of course he’s freaked out. He was probably hoping that I was some deranged teen spouting out lies that he was my father so he doesn’t have to be stuck with someone that’s not a one night stand.’_

“Yes, Mr.Stark. I’ve been told that the analysis has been carefully done and double checked- they are sure you are her father.” responded Cheryl.

“Are you done with the speech?” you asked, opening your eyes and sitting up quickly despite the stinging pain spreading through your abdomen.

“(Y/n), how are you feeling?” asked Cheryl, immediately rushing to your side and holding your hand.

“Like I’ve been hit by a truck. Oh wait.”

Cheryl gave a weak smile at your joke and you noticed out of the corner of your eye that Tony Stark was burning holes in your head with his stare, but you were determined to ignore him for as long as possible.

“Look, (Y/n), you know Mr. Tony Stark, right? And I’m guessing that you already heard that he’s your father.”

Cheryl gestured for Tony to step forward, but you ignored his movement and continued to stare at Cheryl.

“Obviously.” you replied, unable to keep the bitterness out of your voice.

“He’s here to take you home, okay? He’s going to sign the release papers and you’re gonna move with him to his house-”

At the mention of having to live with your father, you squeezed Cheryl’s hand tightly and looked at her straight in the eye.

“No.”

“(Y/n), I know this is all sudden but-”

“I SAID NO, CHERYL!” you shouted, your sudden outburst causing her to step backwards.

“I rather go back to living with my crazy, abusive mother than to live with him-” you pointed at Tony, “for the rest of my life.”

“(Y/n), honey, your mother’s-”

“Insane. Unsafe. Delusional. I KNOW, CHERYL. You tell me this everyday but I can’t help it that I’ve been stuck with her as my mother for all my life. But even you should know that living with her would be far, far, FAR better than having to live with him.”

“Your mom’s dead, (Y/n).” whispered Cheryl.

You were taken back by the mention of your mother’s death, as her death was being mentioned so casually in the midst of the conversation. You sat back slightly, trying to render the fact that your mother was gone.

Did you miss her?

Hell no. You knew she was a monster, an abuser, an evil person.

But this also meant that you had lost your only family member. You lost a constant in your life, and that somehow still left you feeling somewhat remorseful about her death. You were snapped out of your thoughts when Tony cleared his throat and walked towards you, his voice firm but soft.

“(Y/n), sweetheart-”

“DON’T call me sweetheart.” you snapped back. He barely fucking knew you and didn’t bother to visit you for 16 years and NOW he had the audacity to call you sweetheart?

Tony sighed before continuing.

“(Y/n), I know this is all so much to take in but I can provide for you. I’m so sorry that this is the first time we’re meeting and I promise if you come with me I’ll spend every second of my life making it up to you.”

“Well I would rather die like my mother than come live with you.”

That comment caused Cheryl to gasp and Tony’s jaw to clench, his eyebrows furrowing in anger.

“Well you either come live with me or you go to some orphanage. So make up your goddamn mind.”

Tony regretted his words the moment they left his mouth, but he couldn’t help it. He was meeting his daughter for the first time, and what was supposed to be a joyous occasion was being tainted by your harsh, hateful words.

You glared at Tony before you stared back at your hands, weighing your options.

“(Y/n), can I go get the release papers for your father to sign so you can go home with him?” asked Cheryl carefully.

“Fine. Go.”

You waited until Cheryl left the room and looked up at Tony Stark, hatred still embedded into your voice.

“Let’s make one thing clear. I may be coming home with you and I may be biologically your daughter, but you will NEVER be my father.”

“I-”

Tony was interrupted by the sound of the hospital door opening, with Cheryl holding a stack of papers and a few nurses entering with a change of clothes. Tony wordlessly signed the papers and waited for you to change before leading you to his car. He made sure to keep his distance while still looking back to make sure you were following, before he opened the car door and motioned for you to get in.

You stared at him blankly before walking to the other side of the car and opening the door for yourself. Tony sighed before getting in and telling Happy to drive back to the tower.

‘How the hell am I going to explain this to the team?’


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally arrive at the Avengers Tower and meet all the Avengers. You're trying your best to settle into your new life of luxury and comfort while Tony's trying his best to get you to open up- to no avail. His only hope is that someone else in the team can put their foot in the door before you shut everyone out completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all.... WOW. I cannot believe how much love is being given to this fic just from the first chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who has read, gave kudos, bookmarked and left comments on the first chapter. I'm so happy that my hard work is loved and appreciated.
> 
> This chapter is more of a 'filler' or 'building' chapter, but I think it's very necessary in a multi-chapter series to have a chapter where the story flows naturally and the characters aren't in some dramatic situation. This chapter is definitely showcasing more about your past, your present and your relationships with the people in the tower.
> 
> Read until the end notes to see a sneak peek of the next chapter :)
> 
> Don't forget to leave kudos and comments if you enjoy it!
> 
> -Summer xoxo aka https://sarcasticdaydreamer.tumblr.com/

Tony was never really the one to initiate a conversation. 

People naturally flocked to him, dazzled by his riches and captivated by his charisma and brain, so public speaking and small talk was naturally right up his alley. But as he sat in his car, the sunlight now peaking through the dark sky at the crack of dawn, he felt unsure of how to start speaking to his daughter.

He initially made a few comments as the car passed by certain landmarks, hoping that you would casually respond to them as anyone else would, but you remained silent. Tony then coughed and diverted to asking you some easygoing questions, but the most he got from you was a glare or a short one-worded answer. 

_ ‘Okay… Maybe she needs some time to think by herself. That’s fine. I mean, she’s just lost her mother.’ _

Tony briefly wondered for a moment why you were under child protective services, and whether that was linked to your lack of remorse for your mother’s death. He know felt the stinging regret from not pressuring Cheryl enough to find out what had exactly happened during the sixteen years in which he wasn’t in your life. 

Glancing at you from the corner of his eye, he tried to decipher how you were feeling but to no avail. You were the most complicated puzzle he got, thrusted into his hand in no fewer than a couple of hours ago and wrapped up in layers of hostility and anger.

_ ‘I wish she would at least talk to me. Or hell, even look at me.’ _

When Happy pulled up to the garage of the tower, you threw open the door and began walking towards the entrance without alerting Tony. Happy raised his eyebrow in the rearview mirror, as if asking Tony who you were and what the hell you were doing, but Tony simply sighed and told Happy that he was dismissed for the day.

“Welcome home, Ms.Stark.” 

You jumped at the sudden male voice ringing through the garage, the sound coming from seemingly out of nowhere.

“Apologies for startling you, Ms.Stark. My name is JARVIS. I was built by your father to assist him and his fellow Avengers as an artificially intelligent computer.”

“Ok….” you responded suspiciously, not completely believing that it was a computer talking to you instead of someone through the speakers. You saw Tony’s shadow approaching you and spoke quickly as the doors in front of you slid open automatically.

“Just call me (Y/n). And NOT Ms.Stark. He will never be my father.” 

“But according to the hospital records sent over to me for verification, the blood analysis showed a near 99% match of your DNA-”

“Not now, JARVIS.” spoke Tony angrily, rubbing his forehead with his hands in exhaustion. 

Without casting you a glance, he pressed the up button and stepped into the elevator as you followed him in. A few seconds later, the doors slid open to the common room of the tower and he stepped forward to exit, only for you to brush past him first and walk out into the huge room. 

Truth be told, you’ve never seen anything so luxurious and spacious in your life. Your mother was lower middle class at best, and the biggest place you’ve ever been able to call home was a rundown RV that your mom parked in the middle of nowhere. You carefully touched the wooden oak tables, amazed at the rich texture on the tip of your fingertips while you surveyed the room. A huge flat screen TV hung on one side of the room, an array of leather couches were sprawled across the room for comfort and the entire room overlooked the early morning New York city skyline.

_ ‘Everything in here looks like it could fund someone’s college fees.’ _

Tony softly smiled at the wonder in your eyes, as it was the only time when you weren’t hurling insults at him or had a negative expression on your face.

“Pretty cool, huh?” piped up Tony, walking behind you and clapping his hand onto your shoulder.

You tensed at the touch and quickly moved away, shooting him a glare that made it clear that you did not want to be touched in anyway. Tony grimaced, mentally embarrassed that he thought that contact would be a good way to introduce to your new environment.

“Tony, who’s this?”

You turned around to face THE Captain America, wearing a grey tank top and running shorts with a water bottle in hand. Judging by his sporty attire, you assumed he was up early in the morning to go for a run.

“Capsicle, this is (Y/n). My um…. daughter.”

“Daughter? You never told me you had a daughter.”

“Yeah, um… Long story short, no one kinda knew until a few hours ago. Myself included.” said Tony awkwardly, scratching his neck.

Steve only smiled softly in response, his blue eyes immediately settling on your tensed figure. You were hugging yourself, your arms wrapped tightly around your waist as you looked around the room and avoided making any eye contact with him or Tony. He could tell that you were uncomfortable and made the first move, stepping forward and extending his left hand for a hand shake.

“Nice to meet you, (Y/n). I’m Steve. Welcome to the Avengers tower.”

“I’m okay with a verbal greeting.” you replied, staring at his hand warily before stepping backwards. 

Steve was taken back by your response but straightened his back and simply smiled, wishing you a good day before disappearing in to the elevator. You sighed quietly in relief, glad that you would no longer have to partake in awkward small talk until you heard another pair of footsteps approaching from the kitchen.

“Tony, the new prototype is missing- Oh. Hello.” 

Bruce stopped his rambling when he looked up from his steaming cup of coffee and saw a young girl standing next to Tony. You looked far too young to be some fling, and if anything you looked as if you wanted to be somewhere else. Tony sent you a quick glance to see if you would try to introduce yourself, but you remained quiet, fiddling with the edge of your jacket to avoid eye contact.

“Bruce, this is (Y/n).” 

“Right, um… pleasure to meet you.” replied Bruce rather timidly, sending you a soft smile. 

For some reason, his quiet and shy demeanor made you instantly relax and you were glad that he wasn’t loud or trying to get you to open up during your first interaction. An awkward silence settled between the three of you, as the room started to light up from the sun rising over the city.

“Okay!”

Tony clapped his hand, causing you to jump slightly at the sudden sound.

“So I’m going to bring (Y/n) to her room and I’ll speak with you later…”

You turned on your heel and began to walk towards the elevator, not wanting to follow Tony around the entire day like a puppy. You could still hear Bruce and Tony’s hushed conversation in the background, but you continued to walk and pretended not to notice.

“What exactly is her business here?” asked Bruce, confused and starting to sip on his black coffee.

“It’s complicated but she’s my daughter.”

Bruce spit out his coffee, his tongue burning from the scalding liquid and his head spinning at the fact that Tony Stark had a daughter that he never knew about. Before he could ask more questions, however, Tony shook his head sideways and walked towards the elevator to catch up with you- leaving Bruce dazed and needing a new cup of coffee.

* * *

“This is your room.”

The moment he opened the door, you had to admit you were astonished at the grandiosity of the room. Even the phrase ‘your room’ left an unfamiliar taste in your mouth, that type of luxury was not possible with how much money your mom made and the one room apartments you squandered in.

_ ‘I could fit all my last four living spaces in this room.’ _

Velvet curtains, high wooden ceilings, glass pane windows overlooking New York city: this room looked like a regular expensive hotel suite multiplied by three. Everywhere you looked there was something intricate and expensive, so much so that you were almost afraid to touch something in case you broke it.

“Do you… have any suitcases or any stuff?” asked Tony, closing the door behind him.

You turned around to face him, rolling your eyes at his stupid question.

“Everything I had got destroyed in the car crash. You know, the one where I was almost burned alive?” 

Tony kicked himself mentally for not thinking of that before asking, the bitterness in your tone still evident and stronger than ever. He coughed, unsure of how to begin talking once more before digging out a credit card from his leather wallet and putting it down on the TV counter.

“Well… Money’s not a problem so when you have time you can go shopping for some new clothes and whatever you need.”

You didn’t respond, only kicking off your shoes and lying down on the bed in exhaustion. Thankfully, Tony took that as a signal to leave as he disappeared behind the door with a soft click. That left you, staring at the ceiling, amazed at what had happened in the few hours. 

You went from living with your abusive, toxic mother while jumping from town to town and begging to just have enough to get through each day to almost dying in a car accident- only to later find out that Tony Stark is your father and moving to the Avengers Tower as your permanent home. 

Having money no longer be an issue was definitely a foreign concept, in addition to no longer having to starve, skip out on showers or worry constantly about what the next day was going to bring. You went from being in the lower 30 percentile to the top 1 percent in a matter of hours. Your eyes wandered as you drowned in your thoughts, eventually landing on your arms: the scars given by your mother still clear and red on your skin.

_ ‘I should really cover that up before I’m forced to meet more people.’ _

Your thoughts carried you away to a dreamlike state, and before you had a chance to change out of your clothes, you fell asleep.

* * *

You woke up to a series of knocks on your door, the sound waking you up immediately. Perks of coming from a life where you were poor was that you were trained to be a light sleeper and any small noise could wake you up instantly.

You refused to move, however, the feeling of a comfortable mattress so new and too good to leave.

“(Y/n)?”

Ah.

It was Tony.

You definitely didn’t want to speak to him.

_ ‘Maybe if I ignore him he’ll go away.’ _

He started to knock louder, not sure if you were ignoring him or if you were too deep into your sleep cycle to hear him.

“(Y/n)??? It’s time for lunch. You should eat something.”

You opened your mouth to object, but the growling of your stomach was evidence enough that you needed some food in your body. Besides, you could eat silently or bring up the food to your room to avoid any more communication with him or (God forbid) any of his teammates. Slipping off your jacket, you walked over to the door and yanked it open. 

Ignoring the surprised look on his face, you slammed the door behind you and entered the elevator. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Tony approaching as you pressed the shut door button and asked JARVIS to take you to the dining area. The elevator began to move downwards, leaving Tony stranded and frustrated on your floor.

* * *

 

You almost regretted leaving Tony behind when the metal doors slid open, and you could hear the regular chatter and laughter emitting from around the corner. Having to meet all his teammates at once and all by yourself was rather intimidating task but you knew that introductions were going to be forced on you sooner or later.

_ ‘Guess it’s now or never.’ _

You walked closer towards the tables, stopping at the corner of the wall to peek over at who was sitting at the tables.

_ ‘Oh great. Literally every fucking Avenger.’ _

You waited for a loud round of laughter to erupt before quietly ducking down and slipping towards the back counter, hoping that you could reach the food pantry and quickly get something to eat before slipping back upstairs. Unfortunately, the moment you stepped out was the moment in which the conversation immediately died down into silence.

“....Who the hell are you?” asked the redheaded woman threateningly. Her hostile question put the rest of the Avengers at unease, and you could see some of them starting to stand up in case of having to take down an intruder.

“Relax, everyone, this is (Y/n).” stated Steve, calming down the rest of the group.

“You know her?” asked the woman, still eyeing you suspiciously but now sitting down.

“She’s Tony’s daughter.” added Bruce quietly, looking down at his dish.

You absolutely loathed the stunned silence that settled over the group, as each of them (except for Bruce and Steve) were looking at you as if you were some bizarre exhibit at a science museum. You felt watched and judged, standing there in nothing but a plain white shirt and jeans with no shoes. Thankfully, Tony entered the room right as the silence was becoming overbearing.

“Everyone calm down, yes this is my daughter-” started Tony, out of breath as if he ran here. “And no, I didn’t know I had a child until yesterday.”

“My apologies, Lady Stark! I am Thor.” 

“I’m Clint.”

“Natasha. Sorry for scaring you, but we can’t be too careful around here. Especially with strangers.” 

You felt your social anxiety creeping up on you, as suddenly being put on the spot was definitely not your comfort zone. 

“I’m not that hungry.”

And with that comment, you quickly ran back to the elevator, away from the crowd and closer towards the comfort of your isolated room. 

* * *

“She not talkative?” asked Natasha, watching your scurrying form as she sipped on her mug.

Tony chuckled weakly before pulling up a chair and collapsing onto it, his hand starting to tug on his hair due to pure stress while speaking.

“That’s the understatement of the century.”

“She seemed a little… closed off.” noted Bruce, eyeing Tony carefully to see his reaction.

“I mean- I just- I. I don’t know!” yelled Tony, throwing his hands up in the air in exapersation.

“First I’m drinking myself to death at 3am, feeling all sorry for myself and the next thing you know I get a call from a hospital saying my daughter’s been in a car crash and I need to bring her back home because her mom’s dead and- and- I try to talk to her but she hates me. LITERALLY HATES ME. Anything I say or do, it’s never good enough!”

“Well, have you tried to-” started Steve, only to be cut off by a frustrated Tony.

“I TRIED EVERYTHING! She either ignores me, glares at me or responds to me with some snarky hateful comment whenever I say something. I just- I don’t know what the hell I did or what the hell I’m supposed to do.”

The rest of the team nodded in heavy silence, all of them taken back at how lost for words Tony seemed to be. They had never seen Tony so hopeless, so frustrated, so worked up over something he couldn’t solve.

“Maybe you should try to spend some time with her. You know, not force her but take her shopping for essentials just so you can be with her.” suggested Clint.

Tony let out a bitter laugh.

“I doubt she would even let me. She’s been avoiding almost any physical or verbal contact with me ever since she found out I was her father.”

“....How about one of us take her? It could help her open up and at least get more comfortable with the people here in the meantime.” replied Natasha, deep in though.

Everyone stared at Natasha then nodded while Tony sighed in defeat.

“I mean… I guess that could work. But who’s gonna take her? And how are you going to convince her to go?”

“I nominate Natasha.” added Clint quickly, raising his hand. Natasha raised his eyebrow at him, questioning his nomination. He only shrugged his shoulders in response before pointing at each person while speaking.

“I think it’s pretty obvious that Thor can’t go because he’s too loud and he’ll scare her off, Bruce can’t go cause he’s too shy, Steve can’t go because he’s too polite and will want to make small talk, I can’t go cause I’m weird, and Tony can’t go because duh. So that leaves Natasha!”

Natasha rolled her eyes at his response.

“You’re not the only weird one on the team, Barton. Also, being ‘too polite’ is not a problem.”

“Actually… I did meet her this morning and I think I might have made her feel a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps someone she hasn’t really met should go.” piped up Steve, his cheeks tinted pink in embarrassment.

“So me, the assassin that asked her who the hell she was and intimidated her when she stepped into the kitchen, should go?” asked Natasha, pointing out the irony.

“I mean… You are the only female member on our team and you’re more level headed than all of us. Maybe you should go.” quietly added Tony, close to giving up.

Natasha glanced at Tony, who looked defeated and exhausted, then at everyone else in the table as they stared intently at her. She sighed then gave in.

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

* * *

Another knock on your door came only ten minutes after you left the dining area.

“Go away, Tony.” you shouted, not in the mood to deal with him.

“It’s not Tony.” 

Natasha stepped backwards as she heard your footsteps approaching, expecting you to open the door only for you to stand behind the door so you wouldn’t have to shout and asking her what she wanted.

“I’m here to take you clothes shopping.” said Natasha, raising her voice so that you could hear better.

“I can go by myself.” came your muffled reply. 

Natasha leaned in closer towards your door, feeling rather stupid for having to talk through the door.

“So you know how to get to the mall and the directions back to the tower?”

You paused at her response before speaking quickly to cover up the fact that she had a point.

“I can look up the directions.” you muttered defensively.

Natasha let out a short sarcastic laugh in response.

“With what? You don’t even have a phone to look up directions or to call us if there’s an emergency. Face it, (Y/n). You need someone to go with you. And if you don’t want your dad to come, then at least go with another adult for protection.”

You didn’t respond, which worried Natasha a little bit but she swallowed back her doubts and  stepped back cautiously, eyeing the doorknob in hopes of seeing it move. For a split second, she wondered if she was perhaps too harsh and had upset you only for you to carefully open the door half-way and glare at Natasha.

“Fine. I’ll go.”

Natasha suppressed a smirk.

“But a few things first.” you added in quickly, not wanting to let her get the upper hand. Natasha nodded, urging for you to go on.

“Don’t talk to me, don’t touch me, and most importantly don’t patronize me. I’m only agreeing to go with you because I’m pretty sure if I went shopping by myself Tony would send his army of creep robots after me. Got it?”

“Got it.”

You hated how cool and unbothered Natasha looked during the whole exchange, but you slipped into your jacket and slammed your room door, giving it no further thought. The two of you were almost out of the tower when Tony just happened to run into you, flashing a smile your way.

“Where are you two kids going?”

You rolled your eyes and pushed forward, shoving into Tony’s shoulder along the way.

“Save it. I know you forced Natasha to come upstairs and babysit me.”

Tony tried to hide the disappointment from his face but it was no match for Natasha, who only flashed him a sympathetic look. She began to follow you only for Tony to quickly grab Natasha by her wrist, a weak smile on his face. 

“Hey Nat… Please take care of her.”

The amount of affection in his tone through her off- even after you constantly pushing away and berating him, he still cared about you immensely.

“Of course, Tony.” replied Natasha, flashing him one of her rare smiles.

“Anytime now.” you shouted, annoyed at how long she was taking. Tony nodded and Natasha smiled once more before letting go of Tony and walking towards you, only for you to turn on your heel and start to quickly away from her.

Natasha sighed internally.

**This was going to be a very, very long day.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! I think this chapter is v. organic and a necessary one to connect the previous chapter to the future ones. As for the sneak peek I promised in the beginning, I can't tell you much (wink) but I can tell you that Peter will FINALLY be entering the story starting from chapter three. YES! Are you excited? I'm excited.
> 
> Don't forget to leave kudos and comments if you enjoy it!
> 
> -Summer xoxo aka https://sarcasticdaydreamer.tumblr.com/


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha takes you shopping, Tony tries to get you enrolled into a school and Peter Parker can't keep his composure around you. You learn perhaps that not everyone in the tower is intolerable and the team learns something surprising about you. A lot of fluff, including proud!Tony & cute!Peter & aunt!Nat vibes. This is a treat after two chapters full of angst and teenage fuckery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD! 
> 
> Okay, so I won't spoil anything but there's ONE LINE that Tony says in this chapter that makes me MELT every time I read it because it's just SO CUTE and omfg he sounds so proud. See if you can spot it and comment if you do :) I'm also SUCH A SUCKER for Natasha acting like a mom/sister/aunt figure and she totally does that in this chapter. There is fluff and very light angst galore in this chapter, so yay!
> 
> Oh! And Peter also enters the story this chapter and he's so cute I wanna eat him. 
> 
> Alright, I hope you enjoy it! And stick around until the END NOTES to get some hints about what the next chapter's gonna be. 
> 
> LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED IT~~~  
> \- Summer xoxo

“Oh my god, you’re Black Widow. Can I get a picture?”

That had to be the eight millionth person to approach Natasha for a picture, which you supposed was just an oh-so-wonderful downside to shopping with a celebrity. You were just glad that Natasha was near the entrance of the store, far away from where you were: in the corner of Forever 21, checking the tags for the sizes before tossing them into your basket with no further thought.

“Okay, please clear out, the store is exclusively closed for Ms.Widow and her traveling party.” announced the store manager, quickly scurrying towards the huge crowd that was beginning to form. 

“No, it’s-”

Natasha stopped to look away from the excited crowd and to you, hunched over and comparing two pieces of seemingly identical jeans before throwing them both down in frustration. You looked rather small, noted Natasha, standing in the corner of the huge store by yourself. A small pang of guilt hit Natasha’s chest for not keeping you company as she broke away from the crowd with a smile.

“Actually, some privacy would be appreciated. Please excuse me.” 

The store manager held the crowd back, profusely apologizing while closing the store doors and locking them. Natasha walked towards you, stopping a few feet away and leaning against the wall for comfort. You felt her unwavering stare on your back, causing the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up in discomfort. Biting back your insults, you tried to ignore Natasha while staring at the huge collection of clothes on your basket.

Honestly, you had no idea what you were doing or what you were supposed to buy. Buying anything- especially clothing- was a luxury you never got to have in your ‘previous’ life. All your clothes were either stolen from low end stores or your mother had managed to get some donations from the homeless shelter nearby. To have the entire store at your fingertips, knowing that you could easily buy everything in this store and more with the amount of money in your credit card, was an unfamiliar and terrifying feeling.

How much should you buy? What colors? How many variations? Would Tony get mad if you bought too much? Should you just be safe and buy a multitude of the same type of clothing? Or perhaps you should-

“Black or blue?” you asked, holding up an identical pair of jeans in different colors. Natasha didn’t speak, only proceeding to cross her arms casually causing you to look up in annoyance.

“WELL?” you asked, aggravated at her silence. 

Natasha smirked.

“You said I couldn’t talk.” replied Natasha coolly, eliciting a groan from you.

“You can talk when I prompt you to. Just help me make this stupid decision and trust me, I won’t want to speak to you for the rest of the day.” 

Natasha walked past you and grabbed the black jeans from your hands, opening them up and looking at the tag on the back before throwing it on the sales rack.

“Hey! What are you-”

“You’ve literally put at least six pairs of jeans in your basket. No one needs that much. Besides, blue would look far better on you than black.” interrupted Natasha, walking to the other end of the store and looking through the dress rack.

“Why are you looking through the dress section?” you asked, curious.

Natasha delayed her response, taking off a couple of colorful dresses before either putting them back on the rack or tossing it to you.

“You’re gonna need clothing for all occasions. Casual, fancy, school, parties, sleepwear…. Seriously, (Y/n), you can’t wear jeans all your life.”

“I can- oof.” 

You were cut off by another dress being thrown in your direction, the dress having a flowery print in bright colors that you had to admit looked quite cute.

“I can pick them out myself.” you huffed out, prompting Natasha to turn around.

“Really? Is that why you stayed in the jeans section for half an hour and tried to buy everything your eyes settled on?” 

You didn’t reply, only glaring at her to make up for the fact that she was right. You remained silent as Natasha dragged you all over the mall as well, picking out everything and anything from your clothes to a phone to some light makeup. By the end of the day, there had to be at least fifteen shopping bags in Natasha’s hands. 

Natasha stopped at the entrance by the mall, dropping the bags down softly onto the floor before texting someone on her phone. 

“Stay here.”

A part of you wondered where she was heading off to, but your thoughts were soon interrupted by Happy entering the mall and beginning to pick up the shopping bags from the floor.

“Happy? What are you-”

“Natasha texted. Said you had a lot of bags to bring back to the tower.” groaned out Happy, carrying several bags at once and taking them out to the car. Natasha then arrived out of nowhere (apparently) and helped with the rest of the bags, while you awkwardly stood off to the side before getting into the car.

Happy and Natasha got in the car at the same time, Happy buckling his seat belt and beginning to pull out of the parking lot while something hot and wrapped in plastic was tossed onto your lap. The smell of freshly baked bread was instantaneous, and you carefully unwrapped the plastic before stopping mid-way and staring at Natasha questioningly. 

Natasha sighed softly.

“I know you said that you weren’t hungry during lunch, but I’m quite sure you are. And I don’t want you to starve, so eat.”

You hesitated, causing Natasha to chuckle.

“Come on, it’s only a piece of bread. I didn’t poison it.”

You turned around to prevent Natasha from being able to see the smile on your face, the sudden soft side of Natasha pleasantly surprising you. Biting into the heavenly soft bread, you had to (unwillingly) admit: Natasha was…. the most…. accepting? 

No. 

Kind?

No.

What was the word?

Tolerable.

Yes.

Natasha was the most tolerable person you’ve met so far. 

You were in such a good mood for the rest of the day that when you reached the tower, you didn’t protest when Natasha carried all the shopping bags up the tower or even when she entered your room without permission to put the bags down. Setting down the last bag down with a loud huff, Natasha began to exit the room swiftly while you remained seated on your bed.

“Wait.” you said, causing Natasha to stop in her tracks before turning around.

“.... Thanks.” you muttered, staring to the side in embarrassment. 

Natasha masked the immense surprise washing over her, only smiling before nodding and softly closing the door. You fell back onto your bed, thinking for a few moments and then opening one of the shopping bags to fish out a comfortable pair of pyjamas. The soft fabric felt like heaven in your hands, putting you immediately in a state of drowsiness.

“JARVIS?” you shouted.

“Yes, (Y/n)?” replied JARVIS.

“I’m going to sleep now, so I don’t need to be woken up for dinner or whatever.”

“Alright.” responded JARVIS.

“Just make sure that Tony knows that. Okay?” 

“Okay, I will be sure to notify him should he approach your room. Good night, (Y/n).”

You felt rather strange saying goodbye back to a computer, but in a way it comforted you that you weren’t truly alone in this huge unfamiliar tower. Placing the thin blanket over you, you let sleep overtake you the moment the lights dimmed in your room.

* * *

Tony stared at his prototype in exhaustion, his eyes starting to become fixated on the red and gold glimmer emitting from the metal hand. He blinked the fatigue out of his eyes, rubbing his irritated pupils with his hands before yawning loudly. Part of him wanted nothing to pass out in bed, and the other part of him wanted to desperately figure out why the hand wasn’t functioning like it should be.

“Morning, Tony.” said Bruce, clearly in good spirits. 

Tony groaned, too tired to form words as Bruce took in how his friend was looking. He was used to seeing Tony exhausted, sure, but Tony’s exhaustion was always mixed with excitement and enthusiasm from tirelessly trying to find a new breakthrough in his technology. And right now, Tony resembled more of a disheveled corpse mulling over a metal hand laying on his desk.

“You look terrible. Have you gotten any sleep yet?” asked Bruce gently, setting his mug of coffee down on his table.

“Ugh, no.” replied Tony, slapping his hand on the table to push himself up to an upright position.

“I’ve been up all night trying to upgrade this prototype to shoot more beams at a faster rate but I-I just can’t seem to get the wiring right! I don’t know what’s wrong! It should be simple, considering that the last time I did the upgrade it took me less than 3 hours-” 

“Tony. You switched the blue wires with the green wires. They carry different voltages, remember?” reminded Bruce, pointing to the incorrect wiring exposed on the metal hand. Tony’s eyes followed Bruce’s finger towards the wires, the mistake now clear as day.

“Jesus, how could I have missed something that simple….” trailed off Tony, tired and amazed at how miniscule his mistake was.

“Is it (Y/n)?” asked Bruce, grabbing a nearby chair and sitting down.

“What about (Y/n)?” responded Tony lazily, his head now resting against the cool metal table, its cold surface comforting his hot skin.

“You know… Perhaps this entire dilemma you have with her is bothering you so much that your conscious is blocking yourself from being able to perform at your highest capacity.”

Tony laughed weakly, his eyes staring to close from weariness.

“Who are you, Dr.Phil?”

“I’m being serious, Tony. What’s bothering you?” 

Tony sighed, opening his eyes partway to look at Bruce while talking.

“I… I don’t know. I’m just not sure how to talk to her, you know. I’m sure this entire change of lifestyle and environment must be all new and intimidating but I have no idea how to make her more… comfortable.”

Bruce quietly hummed in agreement, his eyes glancing to the window before glancing back at Tony.

“How about you-”

“A school!” shouted Tony, suddenly raising his head from the table and staring at Bruce with excitement.

“What?” asked Bruce, confused. Tony simply smiled at him and jumped off his seat, pacing around the room as he spoke manically.

“Think about it! She could get some friends who are around her age, she could learn to socialize and open up more to strangers, and she could finally experience some stability for the first time in her life!”

“I suppose-” started Bruce, only to be interrupted by a rambling Tony.

“In addition, being educated would definitely help her and I’m sure she would love to have something to do everyday away from the Avengers tower.”

“Yeah I guess-”

“And-and she’s still young, so I don’t think trying to get her enrolled into a school would be much of a problem. Oh god, I don’t know anything about the schools here. I need to start my research right this instant.”

Before Bruce could protest, Tony grabbed a nearby stack of papers and a fountain pen before rushing out the room, almost knocking into Steve along the way. 

“Why’s he in such a hurry?” asked Steve, watching Tony excitedly run towards the elevator.

Bruce chuckled in response before reaching over and grabbing his mug.

“It’s a long story.”

* * *

“What the hell do you mean she can’t get into any schools?” shouted Tony angrily, standing up from his seat and staring down at his secretary. His secretary nervously pushed her glasses back up to the bridge of her nose before speaking quickly, referring to the folder in front of her.

“I-I’m sorry, Mr.Stark, but almost all the public and private schools I called said that they have to adhere by the state laws and cannot accept someone who does not live around their specific area and has no previous record of education.”

“But she has a passport and a US citizenship, isn’t that enough?” replied Tony, not believing what he was hearing.

“No, Mr.Stark. I’m afraid all the places I called would also not be willing to accept a student mid-semester. They said that it would spark curiosity and then public outrage when it gets leaked that it was Tony Stark’s daughter who got the special treatment and got to skip out on all the regulations. They said that people would assume that she got in purely because of you, and t-that would be catastrophic for the school’s reputation and future.”

“This is ridiculous.” muttered Tony, slowly sinking back into his seat in defeat.

“But-”

“There’s a but?” asked Tony, intrigued and leaning forward. His secretary only sighed before continuing. 

“There is one school that doesn’t adhere by these state laws and would accept any student at any time.”

“That’s perfect! Why didn’t you start out by telling me this?” replied Tony, slapping his hand down on the desk in excitement.

“The school’s called Midtown School of Science and Technology. It’s a school for the… gifted. In order to get in, your daughter will have to exhibit her intellect.”

“And how the hell is she supposed to do that?” asked Tony, confused.

“I-I could try to schedule with the school a time for her to take the entrance exam. I can easily send in the application itself and the fees, but the entrance exam will be the final say in whether or not she could attend this school.” she replied, beginning to type on her computer.

“And how hard is the exam?”

His secretary cast her eyes downwards, dreading to tell him the bad news.

“It’s… extremely difficult. According to the 2017 statistics I pulled up, only about 5 to 7 percent of students pass the exam each year.”

Tony leaned back in his chair, slowly letting the awful facts sink in. As if this week couldn’t get any worse, literally every school was refusing to admit you except for one that was extremely difficult to get into. He mulled over the details a bit more before sitting up straight, determined.

“Okay. So if I convince my daughter to take the exam and you do all the application stuff, do you think she can enroll at this high school?”

“Y-yes Mr.Stark. I am positive.”

Tony only sighed, pushing himself off the chair and gesturing to her computer.

“Alright. Fill out all the paperwork and send it over. I’m…. I’m gonna go convince her and help her pass the exam.”

 

* * *

 

You were downstairs at the common room, pouring yourself a glass of hot chocolate as the loud round of laughter echoed from the lounging area. The entire Avengers team (minus Tony, you had no idea where he was) was sitting in front of the TV screen, watching a rerun of some show called Friends that you had never seen. 

“(Y/n)-”

Tony’s sudden voice startled you, causing you to almost drop your cup of hot chocolate.

“What?” you replied, not wanting to deal with him for very long.

“I think you should go to school.”

You stared at him, stunned at his request. Tony mistook your reaction as one of discomfort, beginning to speak quickly before you could interrupt him.

“I know that you might not feel comfortable with suddenly having to go to a school for the first time in your life, but I promise you it’ll be so beneficial for you! You can make some friends your age, a-and a steady work schedule in addition to it being useful when you eventually go to college! I mean, you don’t HAVE to go to college, I think you should do what you want but-”

“Yes.”

“But it’ll be- Wait. What?” trailed off Tony, shocked. You rolled your eyes in response.

“I said yes. I’ll go to school.”

“W-what? T-that easily you’ll say yes?” asked Tony, not believing his ears.

“Does it surprise you that I’d actually like some stability and time away from this dreadful tower?” you asked sarcastically, taking a slow sip from your cup.

“N-no of course not.”

An uncomfortable silence settled between the two of you, pushing you to walk away from the kitchen and from the conversation. You entered the living room, only to find the TV show paused and the rest of the Avengers looking at you like a deer caught in headlights.

“Seriously? You were eavesdropping on our conversation?” you asked them, anger evident in your tone.

“.... There was nothing on.” blurted out Clint, causing Natasha to quickly slap his shoulder.

“Whatever.” you replied.

You were almost out the door when Tony came running after you.

“Wait, (Y/n)!”

“What now?” you shouted, turning around.

“T-the school I mentioned.”

“Yeah?” you asked, your arms starting to cross because of how uncomfortable you felt having to have this conversation in front of everyone in the team.

“They require you to take an entrance exam.”

“Okay….”

“But not just any type of entrance exam. A really hard one. One mainly based around science and technology. So in order to help you pass, I’ve asked my secretary Mary- thank you, Marry.” said Tony, gracefully accepting the tall stack of books being handed to him by his secretary who had just stepped off the elevator.

“To get some books that you can study from. And since I happen to be a science and tech genius, I can help you study-”

“That won’t be necessary.” you cut him off, the smile on Tony’s face falling at your response. Steve immediately stepped in at this point, gently approaching you.

“(Y/n), I think your dad-”

“Tony.” you snapped, not wanting to hear it.

“Tony is just trying to help and I think he’s got a point. If you want to pass this difficult exam, it would be really helpful to have someone like him help you.” stated Steve. 

You sighed, setting down the cup of hot chocolate at a nearby table and picking up a stray pen from the floor.

“As much as I might seem like I need help….” you started before trailing off.

You took one of the books from Tony’s hands and opened it up to a test section, where equations and thick pieces of text were plastered all over the pages. You quickly scanned the questions, doing all the arithmetic work in your head before quickly jotting down all the answers. After you finished, you tossed the book into Tony’s arms and retrieved your cup as you began walking towards the elevator.

“I know everything and I really don’t need help. Especially from you, Tony.” 

As you walked away, Tony quickly opened the book and scanned the answers. He didn’t speak for a couple of seconds, and Steve quickly walked over and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“She didn’t mean it that way, Tony-”

Tony swiftly lowered the book, revealing the stunned expression on his face.

“No, no, I’m not upset. I’m just…. shocked.”

“Why is that?” asked Thor, prompting everyone else to quickly gather around Tony to see what the big deal was.

“All these college level questions…. These advanced questions…. She got them all right in a matter of seconds.”

Tony closed the book, a proud smile on his face.

“My baby’s a genius.”

* * *

Peter sat on his desk, bored out his mind as he stared out the classroom window deep in thought. He couldn’t help but daydream about getting out of school and surveying the area of Queens, his bones eager to start moving and go back to crime fighting instead of being stuck in his mundane Chemistry class.

“Did you guys hear? TONY STARK’S DAUGHTER IS COMING TO MIDTOWN HIGH.”

That comment immediately snapped him out his trance, the mention of his hero and (technically) superhero boss catching his attention. 

_ ‘A daughter? Mr.Stark’s never told me he had a daughter.’ _

“Hey Peter, what do you think his daughter will look like?” asked Ned as he sat down next to Peter.

“W-what? W-why would you ask that? I-I mean how would I know, it’s not like I spend all of my time with Mr.Stark or anything.” replied Peter, the possibility of his secret identity being revealed haunting him.

“I thought you had an internship with him?” added in Ned, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. Peter coughed to cover up his groan, smiling weakly at Ned.

“Right, right! I mean outside of the internship! I really don’t talk to him that much. I’ve only talked to him like, twice.”

“Oh, okay. Well, after class you should totally come over to my house. I’ve got the new-”

“Settle down, Mr.Leeds. You may continue your conversation after class.” yelled out the teacher, glaring at Ned from across the room. Ned immediately shut up, blushing red and pulling out his notebooks from his bag. 

Peter redirected his attention to the front of the room, his eyes falling on his teacher and the new girl. 

“Class, this is (Y/n) Stark. She’s new and I expect all of you to show her nothing but respect and friendliness as she settles into this school.”

Peter didn’t even catch the rest of his teacher’s monologue, far too fixated on staring at you. You were undeniably beautiful, he thought, from the way your hair swayed in the slight breeze passing through the classroom to the way your (eye color) eyes sparkled as it surveyed the room. He knew that he had no chance in hell with a girl like you, especially considering that you were the daughter of THE Tony Stark, but he continued to stare and vowed to admire you from afar.

“....And you’ll be sitting in front of Peter.” finished the teacher, pointing to the empty seat in front of him. Your eyes snapped to the seat and then to Peter, who was (not so obviously) staring at you too.

Shit.

He ducked down quickly, the flush now spreading across his cheeks and radiating heat from how embarrassed he was.

_ ‘Oh my god, the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen and Mr.Stark’s freaking daughter is sitting in front of me.’ _

“Mr.Parker, eyes up here!” shouted the teacher, causing some people in the room to snicker.  He quickly snapped his head back up, mouthing “sorry” to his teacher, who only shook his head before getting straight back into the lecture. 

“Alright, so today we will be covering the topic of gravimetric calculations…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you spot it?
> 
> Did you spot the one line that Tony says that makes me MELT every time I think of it cause he's such a dad and so proud ugh he's so cute.
> 
> If you did, be sure to leave it as a comment and tell me how you felt reading it. The next chapter is your first day at school, which is definitely going to be an interesting chapter. How will you adjust? How will you deal with not only being at a school for the first time but with the cliques & struggles of high school? And most importantly, how will you interact with Peter? Stick around for the next chapter to find out :D
> 
> LEAVE KUODS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED IT~~~  
> \- Summer xoxo


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your first day in high school is... difficult to describe. 
> 
> The classes are fine, the schedule keeps you busy, but the people.... Some are distant, some are judgmental and some are superficial. Being the new girl is hard, but being the new girl who is also "Tony Stark's daughter" is even harder. 
> 
> Perhaps that's why you show up to the tower early and tell Tony you no longer want to go to school.
> 
> So what exactly happened on your first day?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MY GOD!
> 
> Some of you might be thinking: okay, so this update took longer than the last one! What happened?
> 
> Honestly, I'm such a perfectionist I went through about five different drafts before I settled on this one. I feel like this chapter was so naturally written and realistic, so I'm really proud of how this turned out. There's a perfect amount of realism, angst and character interactions between the reader and MJ & Peter & Tony plus a couple more. I hope you all enjoy this chapter :)
> 
> PLEASE LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED IT, AND CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR @sarcasticdaydreamer IF YOU WANT!  
> \- Summer xoxo

When you first thought of high school, it was a nice dream. An unattainable fantasy. Considering the amount of money your mother made and the nomad lifestyle you were accustomed to as a lower middle class citizen, school was a luxury that you watched others have while you sat in the back row, wishing that you were born into a different family.

You always imagined that you would get a solid group of friends that you could talk to and share your secrets with. You fantasized about sleepovers, getting ready for prom night, sneaking out to get wasted at parties…. Anything and everything you saw in those typical teen dramas were safely tucked into your memories and replayed in your imaginations everyday. Back then, you would have given anything just to be a simple high school girl with involvements in a couple of clubs and maybe even a boyfriend.

But now….

You were seriously rethinking all of those thoughts.

The classes themselves were fairly enjoyable, you found, considering that most of the content was information you already knew or found easy to absorb. The rigid schedule kept you busy and the teachers were all very kind and respectful (minus the one that slyly mentioned his resume and asked if you could forward it to Tony), but the students…. 

My god.

The students were driving you insane.

_ ‘I should’ve considered what being the “new girl” and “Tony Stark’s daughter” would have on my social life.’ _

The moment your first period ended, your fellow Chemistry students immediately surrounded you and began asking questions. You were taken back, to say the least, holding your notebook against your chest in anxiety as a crowd began to form around you.

“Are you really Tony Stark’s daughter?”

“Biologically, yes.”

“Where are you transferring from?”

“This is my first school.” 

“What’s it like having the Avengers around?”

“I don’t really talk to them.”

The crowd began to close is on you, causing you to step backwards and bump up against your desk in the process. You could feel your anxiety creeping back up, the feeling becoming almost suffocating as the amount of shouting around you only increased. Thankfully, your teacher saw the crowd getting rowdy and came rushing, breaking them apart before barking at them to get to class. 

“Now, do you know where your next class is?” he asked, concern written all over his aged face. You quietly shook your head sideways, signaling no. He grabbed the printed schedule from your hands as your eyes trailed to the front of the classroom, the clock showing you that you had exactly two minutes to get to your next class. 

“Your next class is Biology which is on the third floor, right across from the math office. Homework is pages 320 to 340, and I expect to see extensive notes on the chapters next class.”

You thanked him quickly before rushing out the door, zipping up your backpack while running. Rushing down the long hallway, you took a sharp right turn and went up the stairs two steps at a time as the bell sounded off in the distance. Completely out of breath and your backpack starting to fall off your shoulder, you opened the classroom door with a loud bang- causing everyone to look at you.

You slowly ducked your head down and moved towards the teacher, trying to ignore the burning gazes on your head as you apologized for being late. She dismissed your apology and pulled up her computer, spotting the empty slot next to your name on the attendance.

“You must be (Y/n) Stark then, right?” she asked, lowering her glasses. The mention of your name sent an excited murmur to spread throughout the class, prompting her to shush everyone while you nodded in response.

“Welcome to Midtown High. Pick a seat as you’d like and sit.”

It was deadly silent as you walked past the tables, with curious stares and quiet whispers filling the silence. The only person, you noticed, who didn’t seem like they really cared was a girl sitting at the very back row. 

You slowly pulled out the chair next to her and sat, causing her to stop looking outside the window and look at you instead. You could now see her features better, and she was clearly pretty with dark brown curls and soft hazel eyes.

“Sup. You new?” she asked.

“Yeah.” you replied, her relaxed demeanor immediately putting you at ease.

“Nice, I’m MJ.”

“(Y/n).”

“So (Y/n)-”

“P-please don’t ask me about Tony Stark. Or what it’s like to be his daughter. Or-” you rambled, the anxiety you felt a few minutes ago bubbling back up.

MJ raised her hands up in mock defeat.

“Woah, chill. I wasn’t gonna ask any of that.”

“You-you weren’t?” you replied, a little shocked. 

“No, dude, I was gonna ask if you got the homework from last class. We have a quiz on it today.”

“Oh.”

You blushed in embarrassment and said no quietly in response, prompting MJ to take out a white piece of paper from her backpack and hand it over to you. You quickly read the text, relief washing over you when you realized it was on the topic of enzyme catalysis: a concept you were already familiar with. 

“Alright, put your pencil cases and phones away, it's time for the quiz. I hope you all did your homework last night.” announced the teacher, starting to hand out pieces of paper to all the students.

You turned the worksheet over to the backside, only to see that it was blank. 

“Uh, MJ?”

“Yeah?”

“You didn’t do the backside of this sheet.”

Her eyes widened before she quickly snatched the sheet out from your hands and glanced at the back page, panic striking her heart. Upon seeing that it was indeed blank, MJ groaned, not believing that she could have been this stupid. 

“Damn it… I didn’t think there was going to be a backside.”

“MJ. I said everything away.” warned the teacher, giving MJ a stern glare as she gave you the quiz paper.

You waited until the teacher walked away and leaned over slightly to MJ to speak.

“The backside was just questions about comet assay.”

MJ shot you a confused look.

“It’s a technique used to determine the amount of double strand breaks in DNA. The nucleus of a certain cell is coated with an agarose gel and an electric current is applied that causes the DNA to move due to the DNA’s varying sizes and negative charge. The movement is called electrophoresis. Undamaged DNA looks like a round circle while the damaged DNA sticks out like a tail under the microscope.”

You heard the teacher yelling out that the quiz was starting now, so you leaned backwards and quickly began the quiz with no further comments. It was easy and you could have easily been the first one to turn it in, but you wanted to avoid attracting any more attention so you pretended to look over your answers and gave it in the same time MJ did.

As the class bell rang and you began to pack, MJ stood up and leaned against the desk- waiting for you as the rest of the class exited the classroom in a hurry.

“Thanks by the way.” said MJ, looking down at you.

“For what?” you asked.

“For saving my ass. I’m pretty sure I would have failed that quiz if you didn’t tell me all about comet assay or whatever.”

You could tell she was being genuine and smiled, following MJ out the classroom and into the packed hallway.

“What’s the rush?” you ask, trying not to get squashed by the sea of people walking down the hallway. You immediately sticked to MJ, trying your best to ignore the casual pointing or sustained whispering from the students by the lockers. Some of them were even taking pictures and videos of you, most probably to post them later online to boast about how Tony Stark’s daughter was going to their school.

“It’s lunch time, so I think everyone’s rushing to the cafeteria. Speaking of which…”

MJ suddenly stopped and you almost knocked into her, your eyes initially downcast due to all the looks you were getting from the other students. Raising your eyes, you saw the cafeteria. 

The loud sounds were the first thing to put you off, from the clacking of the metal trays to the regular chatter from the students in line echoing through the cramped area. To make things worse, it seemed as if everyone was organized in their own groups as each cliques sat in their respective tables. While you surveyed the area, your eyes briefly met with the boy you sat in front of in Chemistry- Peter- but the moment your eyes met he cast his eyes downwards and broke the gaze.

You pushed down the bitter taste of rejection in your tongue as you redirected your attention to MJ, who was staring at you a little too intently.

“What?” you asked, confused.

“...Everyone’s staring at you.” she replied, whispering it into your ear.

“Oh.

You turned your head, only to see that much like out in the hallway, plenty of people were indeed looking at you before turning around to their friends or filming you on their phones. You started to feel as if you were some freak show exhibit and tugged your jacket closer towards yourself for comfort. 

“Wanna go eat somewhere else?” asked MJ quietly, causing you to weakly nod back. The two of you quickly exited the cafeteria and you followed her outside, stopping at a picnic bench near a tree. The warm sunshine and the lack of students were a nice break from the chaos in the school, and you felt yourself instantly feeling better. 

The two of you ate silently, but the silence wasn’t awkward as all you wanted was some company and MJ wasn’t big on talking. The lunch bell rang soon enough and MJ was kind enough to walk you to your next class, which was Computer Sciences. When you arrived at the classroom, you were hesitant to part ways with the only person in the school you really knew, but you bid her goodbye and quickly picked a spot in the classroom while it was relatively empty.

You doodled in your notebook as the rest of the students poured in, trying to ignore the loud chatter filling your ears until you heard the chair next to you being pulled out. 

“Hey, you’re (Y/n) Stark, right?”

You turned around to face a beautiful blonde girl with a superficial smile and designer clothes, her presentation immediately reminding you of the typical high school villains you saw on TV. Her presence quickly intimidated you, so you only nodded timidly in response. 

“Great! I’m Jessica Hammond. But you already knew that.”

You opened your mouth to interject but she didn’t let you, her smile never leaving her face as she spoke in a sickeningly sweet voice.

“As you probably know, I am part of the Vanderbilt family bloodline. So it’s crazy that we were paired up together: a Stark and a Vanderbilt, right?”

“We weren’t paired up together… You just sat down next to me.” you replied, partially confused and partially annoyed.

She laughed at your response, the high pitch irritating your ears. Her long manicured nails then began digging into your wrist as she talked, a dangerous edge now lacing her voice.

“You’re such a jokester, (Y/n)... But leave the jokes to me, okay? You don’t wanna cross me.” 

You watched as she turned around and leaned over to a nearby table to start talking with her friends, allowing you to slip away and ask your teacher if you could possibly get a new partner. He raised his eyebrow questioningly but nodded, calling Jessica’s name out loud and asking her to switch with someone else.

“Of course, Mr.Smith.” replied Jessica sweetly, while sending you a deathly glare. She didn’t break her gaze with you as she grabbed her bag and settled in her new seat, her unwavering stare sending shivers down your spine. You were determined to not let it get to you, however, as class started and you sat down on your seat and focused on the lecture.

The moment class ended, you immediately grabbed your backpack and rushed for the door only to hear a couple of photos being snapped behind you. You paused, hesitant, then slowly turned around only to see Jessica laughing with her friends about something on her phone. She  seemed to detect your stare and gave you a mischievous smirk, as if warning you that something was coming.

You forced yourself to look away and felt yourself rushing to your next and final class of the day, determined to forget all about Jessica and whatever she was trying to do. The atmosphere in the classroom felt colder and more judgmental, as the moment you entered the classroom, everyone stopped what they were doing and eyed you up and down.

_ ‘I’m just being paranoid, they’re just looking. Not judging.’ _

“Where should I sit?” you ask, keeping your voice steady. The teacher points to the empty seat in the third row and you quietly thank him before walking over.

_ ‘Come on (Y/n)... Just one more class and it’s over.’ _

 

* * *

Peter felt absolute dread and suspicion the moment his teacher pointed to the empty seat next to him.

Dread, because he knew that he couldn’t talk to girls. Especially pretty girls like you. 

Suspicion, because he heard all the rumors that were circulating around the school about you. He heard the whispers and saw the snaps that were being sent around the school- people who had managed to talk to you were saying that you were mean, rude and conceited. Stories of your lack of friendliness and arrogance were spreading around the school like wildfire and Peter couldn’t help but wonder if it was true.

Sure, you didn’t strike him as someone who was all those terrible things, but then again the only interaction he had with you was that you sat in front of him in Chemistry. 

_ ‘I’ll just be careful around her.’ _

To Peter’s great relief, you didn’t attempt to talk to him but rather remained silent throughout the class, alternating between scribbling notes into your notebook and staring at the board. Peter kept to himself as well, but couldn’t help but hear the whispers around him.

“Jessica says she was a massive bitch.”

“She hasn’t talked to like, anyone. Does she seriously think she’s too good for everyone here?”

“We all know that she only got into this school because her father is Tony Stark.”

Peter glanced at you subtly to see your reaction, but you seemed impassive and focused on the lecture, so he dropped it and listened in on the lecture as well. 

* * *

“She probably is all those things. I mean, there has to be a reason why no one knew she existed until today. Tony Stark probably kept her existence a secret because she’s a nightmare.”

That comment was the last straw, and you almost broke the pencil in your hand as anger began to cloud your judgement. You closed your notebook with a loud thud, causing the teacher to stop speaking and look back at you. All eyes were on you as you began to pack up your things into your bag, causing the teacher to look at you with curiosity.

“Ms.Stark, what are you-”

“CAN EVERYONE STOP CALLING ME THAT!” you snapped, slamming your hands onto the table.

“I’m not just Tony Stark’s daughter, I’m not privileged or got special treatment to get into this school, I’m just FUCKING (Y/n). I-I’m so SICK of everyone treating me like I’m some disgusting freak just because I don’t happen to be a normal kid.”

You zip up your bag and leave the classroom, your face hot and flustered from the pure rage coursing through your veins. As the door slams, you take out your phone and call Happy. 

“(Y/n), what-”

“Please come pick me up from the school. ASAP.” 

You feel a couple of tears rolling down your eyes as you hang up, not wanting to talk any much longer. Happy arrives a few minutes later and you get in quietly and remain silent for the rest of the ride. Much to your surprise, he’s smart enough to leave you alone and only casts worried glances at you in the rearview mirror the entire ride home.

 

* * *

Tony sat in the kitchen, munching on a bowl of cereal as he watched the grandfather clock tick by slowly. Today was your first day at school, and he had to admit that it was weird knowing that you weren’t in the tower for the first time ever- even if you barely talked to him while you were here. 

_ ‘I wonder what she’s doing in school right now.’ _

“Missing her already?” asked Natasha, leaning against the cupboard while swirling her drink around with a straw. 

“Weirdly, yeah.” answered Tony, shaking his head in disbelief.

“It’s so weird having a kid. Even when they’re not necessarily near you, you still feel…. connected to them and you end up spending half of your time just worrying about them.” finished Tony, causing Clint to nod and speak with his mouth full.

“That’s true, as a dad I can second that.” 

“Excuse my interruption, but (Y/n) has entered the building.” announced JARVIS.

“Now?” questioned Natasha, glancing at the clock. “Doesn’t school finish around three?”

“Yeah, it’s way too early for her to be back home…” trailed off Tony, a sick feeling settling in his stomach. He dropped his spoon and rushed to the living room, only to see you exit the elevator and drop your bag onto the floor before collapsing on the sofa. Tony wasn’t sure whether to approach you or not and hesitated, only for Bruce to exit the elevator next and spot you. 

Checking his wristwatch, Bruce approached you carefully and set down his mug on the table.

“Aren’t you home a little early?” questioned Bruce softly. 

You didn’t respond, prompting Bruce to sit down next to you and ask again. 

“... Was your first day okay?”

You remained silent, only raising your head slightly to ask Bruce if Tony was here in a deadly calm voice. Bruce nodded, pointing towards the kitchen. You mentally sighed and gathered your belongings, determined to not cry in front of anyone here. 

Upon seeing you approach, Tony backed up quickly and pushed Natasha and Clint towards the kitchen before sitting in front of his cereal to pretend like he wasn’t listening. The moment you entered the kitchen, Tony only smiled at you warmly and spoke.

“Hi, sweetheart, how was your first day at school?”

“...I don’t want to go back.”

“W-what?” stuttered Tony, taken back at your response. 

“I said, I don’t want to go back. It was a mistake going to school in the first place.” 

You turned on your heel and began walking towards the elevator, passing by Steve and Thor who had just returned from a mission. You avoided making eye contact with either of them and almost made it to the elevator when Tony suddenly grabbed your wrist, stopping you in your tracks.

“Wait, hold on. What do you mean you don’t want to go back to school?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

You try to break free from his grip but to no avail.

“Why? What happened?”

The concern in his voice irritates you, and you can’t believe he would have the audacity to sound concerned when he didn’t give a fuck about you before you became his responsibility. The comments people whispered about you at school begin to circle around in your head as you rip your arm away from his grasp.

“This is all your fucking fault so how dare you even ask me what’s wrong. I should have NEVER gone to that school and more importantly I should have NEVER listened to you.”

With that, you rush to the elevator and to your room. You lock the door and order JARVIS to not let anyone in, even forbidding entrance to your floor. You throw your backpack across the room and collapse on the bed. You furiously take off your school clothes, the fabric holding too many painful reminders of the day and change into a fresh set of clothes- the smell of fresh laundry comforting you slightly.

And with that, you shut your curtains quickly and fall onto your bed. 

You don’t bother to hold back the tears as the darkness settles in your room, the emptiness comforting you. 

* * *

Everyone was stunned, the tension in the air thick and uncomfortable as Tony stood in shock- staring at the elevator that you disappeared into. He slowly turned around and faced his teammates, disappointment and immense worry washing over him in tidal waves.

“Fucking hell. I screwed up again.”  mutters Tony.

He slowly sits down on the chair, his hands rubbing his face as everyone else crowds around him to comfort him.

“Tony, it’s not your fault-” starts Bruce, only to be interrupted by a frustrated Tony.

“Really? Wasn’t it my fucking idea to send her to school? Wasn’t it my brilliant idea to leave her all alone on her first day? Wasn’t-”

“What Bruce is trying to say is that you sending her to school wasn’t the problem... I think something actually happened at school.” interjects Nat, prompting everyone else to agree.

“Doesn’t Peter go to the same school as (Y/n)? Maybe you can ask him what happen-”

Before Steve can even finish his sentence, Tony is summoning his suit and walking towards the exit. No one dares to follow him, only watching his figure disappear as the clock in the room continues to tick.

* * *

_ ‘What an exhausting day.’ _

Peter was never so glad to be back home after an emotionally, physically and mentally tiring day at school. In addition to the huge amount of workload his teachers assigned him, the amount of drama in school today was enough to wear him out completely by the time he trailed in to his apartment. 

He opened his door to see May cooking, the sound of the door opening causing her to turn off the stove and lean over to shout at him.

“Welcome back, honey! By the way, Mr.Stark is in your room.”

The mention of Tony’s name was enough to make Peter panicked, the million worst case scenarios running through his mind in a flash. 

“D-did he say why he was in my room?” asked Peter, starting to feel his hands get clammy.

“No, but he’s in his iron man suit so I think it might be serious. Maybe he needs your help with-”

Peter didn’t bother hearing the rest of her sentence, not wanting to keep his boss waiting any longer. He opened his door hurriedly with a bang, causing Tony to turn around in his chair and cross his arms slowly. 

“Peter….”

His mask deconstructed, exposing only Tony’s face while leaving the rest of his body in the suit. Peter gulped, the expression on Tony’s face one that he’s never seen before and hoped to never have to see again.

**“You have a lot of explaining to do.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY DON'T FREAK OUT.
> 
> I won't let Tony kill Peter and I promise everything that went wrong will be fixed in the future chapters. I just felt like if Tony Stark's daughter really went to a high school, people would freak out and talk about her constantly/post about her/spread rumors about her cause we live in such a connected and judgmental world. Jessica is loosely (very loosely) based on this girl and her friends who used to bully me in middle school, so there's that lol.
> 
> PLEASE LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED IT, AND CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR @sarcasticdaydreamer IF YOU WANT!  
> \- Summer xoxo


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's conversation with Tony goes (somewhat) well, you've locked everyone out of your floor and Tony goes out drinking to cope with the pain. You're adamant on not changing on your mind... until Bruce makes you some pasta and changes your mind. Perhaps Tony wasn't as terrible as you thought, after all.
> 
> *WARNING: LOTS OF FLUFF, ESPECIALLY TOWARDS THE END*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm starting to run out of things to say in these things, MAN.
> 
> But yeah. My school starts soon, which sucks. Meaning I might have later updates or long periods of inactivity BUT LET'S PRAY THAT DOESN'T BECOME A PROBLEM.
> 
> This chapter holds a special place in my heart because Bruce and the reader have some really heartbreaking and also heartwarming conversation. Seriously, WE NEED MORE BRUCE APPRECIATION. Also, the ending makes me smile like an idiot because I love happy Tony.
> 
> Read until the end for a sneak peek of the next chapter~~~
> 
> LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED, AND GO CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR IF YOU WANT: @sarcasticdaydreamer.  
> \- Summer xoxo

Peter’s heart literally stopped at the venomous glare Tony gave him, and Peter felt himself grasping his backpack in anxiety before speaking quickly, his chest feeling like it could burst at any moment from pure distress.

“I-I can explain, Mr.Stark-”

“Good. Cause that’s what I’m here for.” replied Tony in a monotone voice before turning around in his chair. Peter awkwardly stared at the back of the chair, unsure of what to do, before he slowly approached and sat down on his bed right across from Tony and the chair. A couple of moments passed as Peter dwelled on how to start, prompting Tony to raise his eyebrow- indicating his impatience. 

“I-um…” trailed off Peter, trying to think of how to word your situation delicately.

“How many classes do you have with (Y/n)?” asked Tony, irritated.

“Two. Chemistry, which was at the beginning of the day and Robotics, which was last period.” replied Peter carefully, trying to decipher Tony’s blank expression. 

“Perfect. Then you can tell me exactly what happened in the beginning, middle, and at the end of the day.” 

The iciness of Tony’s tone was terrifying, and Peter found himself squeezing his hands to calm himself down while talking.

“Right, okay… Um… So, (Y/n) sat in front of me in Chemistry. People were talking about her beforehand-”

“What were they saying?” asked Tony, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. 

“T-that she was… you know… Your daughter. But nothing much happened during that class, other than that some people were asking her questions but the teacher told them off so it wasn’t that bad. I didn’t see her again until lunch time.” muttered Peter nervously. Tony only leaned backwards and nodded, letting go of the subject.

“What happened at lunch?” asked Tony, changing the topic.

Peter bit his lip, trying to remember the foggy details from earlier in the day.

“Uh… She was with MJ-”

“Who?” questioned Tony, wondering if MJ was a threat or a friend.

“MJ. She’s super cool. Her and (Y/n) seemed to get along great, I heard they even had lunch together by themselves in the courtyard.”

Tony immediately relaxed, glad that you had at least got to be acquainted with someone around your age.

“Heard? Weren’t you there?” questioned Tony, confused.

“Well, yeah… I only saw her come into the cafeteria and leave.” replied Peter, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Why did she leave?”

The icy tone returned, and Tony’s eyes immediately darkened at the prospect of hearing what happened in the cafeteria. Peter’s eyes widened and immediately reassured him.

“Nothing bad happened. It’s just I think she was getting uncomfortable by the amount of staring and filming that was going on.”

Tony’s fist clenched at the idea: how dare those students at your school treat you like an animal in a zoo: filming you, staring at you, invading your privacy... Tony took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself, before urging Peter to go on. 

“I-I think (Y/n) was relatively alright during the entire day until Robotics. There were… um…”

Peter bit his lip in frustration, attempting to word his next sentence as carefully as he could.

“What?” asked Tony, aggravated. Peter took in a deep breath before speaking.

“There were rumors going around. Snaps being sent. It was all over the school by the time she came into the Robotics classroom.”

“What kind of rumors?”

Tony’s voice was now laced with anger, his jaw clenched and his shoulders tensing at hearing that people were spreading rumors about you. 

“People were saying that um… (Y/n) was… um…”

“I don’t have all day, Peter.” responded Tony, impatient and frustrated. Peter didn’t want to say it but let it all out in one breath, wanting to get this part of the story as quickly as over as possible.

“People were saying that (Y/n) was mean, unfriendly and all around terrible. They called her names and most of them- well all of them- weren’t nice and actually I can’t even say some of them cause of how nasty they are-”

“Alright. Did she know that this was happening?” interrupted Tony, cutting to the chase.

“I don’t think so. But then class started, and some people in the class started to say horrible things like saying (Y/n) was a bitch, she only got into this school because of you and….”

_ ‘Oh god, I really don’t want to say this last part.’ _

But the look on Tony’s face was clear, and Peter knew that Tony was keeping his anger on the downlow and would end up being even more furious if Peter didn’t finish his sentence.

“...And that you kept her existence a secret all this time because she was such a nightmare to raise.” finished Peter, peeking up at Tony carefully.

Words couldn’t describe how angry Tony was, the rage boiling his blood and traveling from his head to the rest of his body. Tony felt himself starting to shake violently from the pure fury washing over him, his thoughts immediately turning sinister as he suddenly got an urge to march into school and physically rough up the students who dared to bully and ridicule you to this extent. Tony eyed Peter dangerously as he slowly spoke.

“...But you defended her, right?” 

Tony’s question pierced directly into Peter’s heart, the stabbing pain of guilt quickly settle in. The shame and fear soon became to bear and Peter lowered his head, his eyes now staring at the floor. Tony already knew Peter’s answer but asked again, his voice lower this time.

“You defended her, right, Peter?”

The guilt was causing Peter’s spine to tingle and his chest to start heaving, the negative thoughts now loud and shaming him for staying quiet in class. Peter slowly looked up at Tony shamefully and shook his head sideways, prompting Tony to then quickly stand up, his eyes blazing with anger.

“WHAT? HOW COULD YOU NOT?” shouted Tony furiously.

Peter stood up as well, while holding both his hands out in an effort to calm Tony down.

“Mr.Stark, please, I-I wanted to say something b-but she didn’t seem like she cared-”

Tony laughed sarcastically, the unfamiliar sound causing Peter to cringe.

“Really? REALLY? She didn’t seem like she cared? Tell me, Peter, if people in your class were saying those things about you, would you care?” asked Tony harshly, stepping forward and forcing Peter to step back in fear.

“W-well of course, Mr.Stark-”

“And you still didn’t do anything?” repeated Tony, cornering Peter. Peter nodded slowly, and Tony swore it took every bit of self control in him to not lash out at Peter verbally. In an effort to calm himself, he took in a deep breath then straightened his back, glaring at Peter harshly. 

“...You know, Peter, I should take away your suit.” 

The idea of no longer being able to attain his superhero identity struck fear into Peter’s heart, the punishment far too terrifying to handle. 

“B-but Mr.Stark, I-I don’t understand-”

“What is there to understand, Peter? You knew my daughter was coming to your school. You didn’t care enough to befriend her and what’s worse, you didn’t care enough to do the decent thing and defend her. And you know what happened because of all this shit at your school?”

The swear word left Tony’s mouth with no thought, anger being the only constant in his mind.

“N-no.” replied Peter, grasping his bedpost in nervousness.

“She comes back home and tells me she NEVER wants to go back to school. She was on the verge of TEARS, and now she hates me EVEN MORE, and it’s all-”

“Wait, she hates you?”

The question slipped before he could think through it and Tony only glared at him, effectively shutting Peter up. Upon further thinking, as much as Peter didn’t want to admit it, he saw where Tony was coming from and couldn’t deny that Peter really should have defended or at least tried to distract you from the hate the other students were giving you. Peter hung his head in shame as he spoke directly to the floor.

“I’m really sorry, Mr.Stark. You’re right, I should have been better. I should have talked to her and defended her. Not just because she’s your daughter, but because she’s a person who deserves respect…. I’ll understand if you take my suit away as punishment.”

Tony ran a hand down his face and breathed through his nose slowly, trying to deflate his anger and return to a clear minded state. A part of him felt bad for yelling at Peter because he knew that in reality, the students of the school were who he should be angry at, not Peter. Besides, Tony knew that in his heart, Peter was a good kid with good morals. 

“No, no…. I won’t take away your suit.” muttered Tony, causing Peter to look up in shock.

“You…. won’t? Oh, thank you so much, Mr.Stark!” yelled Peter, overjoyed. He was so happy that he ran over and hugged Tony out of instinct, who stiffened at the affection and slowly pushed away Peter.

“Woah, woah. No hugs, kid.”

“Oh. Sorry.” muttered Peter, embarrassed.

“Besides, I’m not letting you off that easy.” replied Tony, a wicked grin on his face. 

“W-what do you mean?” asked Peter, his smile dropping from his face quickly. Tony thought for a moment, tapping his feet on the floor, before looking down at Peter with a smirk.

“I want you to promise me, that in exchange for me not taking away your suit, that you’ll take care of (Y/n). All you have to do is be her friend and keep her away from the nasty people. That’s not too much to ask, right?”

Peter eagerly nodded.

“Ye-yes, sir! I will do all that, Mr.Stark.”

“Good, good.”

Tony let the suit cover his face again as he turned on his heel and began to walk towards the exit. 

“Wait, but I thought you said (Y/n) said she never wanted to come back!” yelled Peter, while Tony only continued to walk.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way for her to return.”

The door slammed as Tony exited, leaving Peter to stare at the door in disbelief. The last fifteen minutes of tension, anxiety and terror left his body in one breath as he fell back onto his bed, thoughts of you swirling in his head like a hurricane.

* * *

“JARVIS, go up to (Y/n)’s floor.” shouted Natasha, the pizza box starting to feel too hot against her hand.

“Sorry, Ms.Romanoff, but (Y/n) has prohibited any entrance to her floor.” replied back JARVIS, the elevator remaining motionless. Natasha scowled and exited the elevator, only to run straight into Tony.

“Any luck?” he asked, hopeful.

Natasha shook her head sideways and threw the pizza box down on the glass table with a thud, alerting the rest of the Avengers who were sitting around the living room area discussing something. Tony trailed behind her, distraught and exhausted from a long day.

“Can’t you just override her commands?” piped up Bruce, causing Tony to glare at him.

“You think I haven’t tried? JARVIS!”

“Yes, sir?”

“Override (Y/n)’s commands.”

A brief silence passed where everyone held their breath in anticipation, only for JARVIS to respond asking for a password verification. Steve sat back in his chair, dumbfounded.

“You put a… password?” asked Steve, trying to understand.

Tony didn’t respond, only reaching over to open a whiskey bottle sitting on the table before opening it with one hand and drinking directly from the bottle. The bitter alcohol relieved his stress for a brief moment, the euphoria lasting for a few seconds before Tony responded.

“No, my smart ass daughter somehow found a way to program JARVIS differently so that no one can override her commands unless someone says the password. And obviously-”

Tony took one more swig from the bottle, the burning sensation familiar and welcoming.

“She’s the only one that knows the password.” 

“Do you have any idea what the password could be?” asked Natasha, snatching the whiskey bottle from Tony’s hands while glaring at him. Tony gazed at Natasha angrily then only shrugged, already missing the taste of alcohol on his lips. 

“I propose we forego the password and march into her floor! A simple swing of my mjolnir should break down any obstacles along the way.” declared Thor proudly while standing up, only for Clint to pull him back down.

“Easy, buddy. I doubt intruding and almost killing (Y/n) would be the answer.” 

“But we do not have an answer. Lady Stark has forbidden all of us entry to her floor.” retorted Thor, crossing his arms. A grim silence settled among the group, the sky outside starting to darken and rumble with thunder as if to match the atmosphere in the room. Tony glanced at his wristwatch and then laid back in the couch, running a hand down his face before closing his eyes in exhaustion.

“You know what? Fuck it. I give up.”

Tony got up from his spot and snatched up the car keys from the counter.

“What are you doing?” asked Natasha, getting ready to stand up.

Tony only scoffed as he continued to walk towards the elevator.

“I’m going out. To get drunk.”

The elevators doors closed as Natasha got up to follow Tony, only for Bruce to gently grab her by the wrist and sit her down. 

“Best we don’t go follow him, we’ll only aggravate him more.”

Natasha reluctantly sat down and opened her mouth to speak again, only for Bruce to smile at her reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay here and make sure that he comes back alive.”

Natasha smiled gratefully then exited the room, planning to head over to the training room to blow off some steam. Thor soon followed, muttering about how his plan would have been so much quicker and better, while Steve trailed behind slowly. He stopped, however, then looked back at Bruce with a small smile.

“Take care of Tony, would you? I’m sure he’ll be back later than I can imagine.”

Bruce laughed in response.

“Yeah, of course.”

* * *

You woke up to the sound of your stomach grumbling, the pain of hunger starting to pierce you repeatedly in the gut. You turned to your side to see the alarm clock, only to see that it was near midnight: meaning you had slept for about four to five hours with no dinner and a small amount of lunch in your stomach.

A part of you didn’t want to leave the comfort of your bed, but the other part of you was starving and wanted nothing more than to at least grab a snack to satisfy your hunger. You thought for a few moments then sighed and threw your blankets off, before slipping into a pair of warm slippers and a light cardigan in the process.

_ ‘It’s midnight, so I doubt anyone would still be in the living area or the kitchen.’ _

The elevator ride down was quiet, but you still paused when you arrived at the floor, slowly peeking out to see if you could hear or see anything. All you could sense was silence and complete darkness, causing you to sigh in relief and step off the elevator quietly. You tiptoed across the room, dodging the various pieces of furniture scattered across the room with nothing but the sheer moonlight illuminating the way.

“Hungry?”

Bruce’s voice startled you as you turned around in surprise, only to see him reading a book on the sofa with a small reading light. You crossed your arms and huffed.

“I didn’t think anyone was going to be here.”

Bruce shrugged.

“You’re technically right. Everyone’s asleep- except me and Tony.”

“Where’s Tony? Not that I care.” you added, trying to cover up for the fact that you were at least somewhat curious. Bruce sighed and turned off his reading light before switching on the lamp next to him, the harsh yellow light blinding you for a quick moment.

“Out. Drunk. Sad.” muttered Bruce.

You pushed down the slight twinge of guilt and rolled your eyes.

“Whatever. Typical Tony anyways. Let’s not talk about him.”

“Alright, let’s not.” replied Bruce before standing up.

“W-what are you doing?” you asked, stepping back.

“You like pasta?”

The random question threw you off and you narrowed your eyes at him suspiciously before nodding. Bruce only smiled and motioned for you to follow him to the kitchen. You swallowed your doubts and followed behind him, your feet softly padding against the wooden floor.

“I didn’t know that you cooked.” you said as you sat down on the kitchen counter.

Bruce opened up the cabinets and pulled out a pot and a pan while speaking.

“Well, before I became an Avenger I was a doctor. I travelled a lot around the world to help the sick and needy, and you know, when you’re by yourself and traveling a lot... Cooking becomes a necessity.”

You watched as Bruce began to pour some water into the pot before talking.

“Why did you want to become an Avenger?”

Bruce thought about his answer for a few moments while adjusting the pot on the burner and turning around.

“Well… I wasn’t initially on board with it. There’s a reason why I ran away and became a traveling doctor. I wanted to leave behind my past. Hulk, mainly. I was scared of not being able to contain it and harming people along the way.”

The vulnerability in his voice moved you more than you would like to admit. 

“Then… what changed your mind?” you asked tentatively. 

The sound of the water beginning to boil caused Bruce to turn around, and he grabbed a tablespoon and some salt before adding it to the boiling pot and speaking.

“Well… I supposed Tony helped me out a lot.”

The mention of Tony’s name intrigued you as you leaned forward on the table, resting your arms on the cold surface.

“How so?”

Bruce smiled softly upon remembering.

“Tony convinced me that the Avengers was a beautiful idea that just needed to be given a chance. Told me that we all had these gifts for a reason, and that we could change the world for the better instead of living in fear. Also, the very first mission I had was with Tony.”

“Really? What mission was that?” you asked as Bruce added the pasta to the pot.

“Director Fury wanted us to track down Loki using a scepter. It was long and tiring, with a lot of complications along the way and the infamous Battle of New York occurring as a result… But… Tony helped me out a lot. We’ve been good friends ever since. It also helps that we’re both a bunch of science nerds on the inside.” added in Bruce lightheartedly.

You didn’t speak for a while, only watching how gracefully and quickly Bruce was moving around the kitchen and preparing the pasta. The smell of cut tomatoes and fresh parsley lingered in the air as Bruce cooked, the smell heavenly and instantly lifting your spirits.

“You know, Tony really cares about you.” mentioned Bruce, eyeing you from the corner of his eye.

You sighed heavily at the comment, your hands starting to fiddle with the edge of your cardigan.

“Yeah? He has a funny way of showing it.” you muttered bitterly.

Bruce only hummed quietly in response.

“You really don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?” you asked, curious.

“All the things he does for you.”

You rolled your eyes at his response.

“Yeah, like making me go to school to get rid of me or not contacting me for 16 years. Such wonderful things.” you replied sarcastically as Bruce drained the pasta.

“Seriously though, (Y/n).... Tony was born into a family of tremendous wealth and fame. From the moment he was born, people labeled him as the son of Howard Stark, and that’s all he ever was to the entire world while he was growing up. The amount of pressure he got and the lack of time he spent with his family meant his childhood was rough. His dad was very distant and gone most of the time for business trips, though his mother adored Tony like crazy…. But then…” trailed off Bruce, not wanting to say more than he should.

“Then what?” you asked eagerly.

Bruce stopped chopping the vegetables and sighed.

“Then there was a car accident that killed both of his parents. His entire life crumbled around him while the whole world was watching, and all anyone ever said was: ‘What now? Is Tony Stark taking over his father’s company? Is he capable?’ His only family was gone forever and it seemed like no one else cared.”

You remained quiet as Bruce continued.

“But Tony pushed through it and he became a bigger success than anyone could have ever imagined. He quickly learned to develop a persona for the public eye: flaunting his wealth, charisma and good looks. Everyone fell in love with this side of Tony while the personal side of Tony was in havoc. Alcohol, endless nights working and sleeping around was his entire life until Pepper came around. Only for her to quit the company and their relationship: leaving Tony alone once more.”

“That’s not true, he still had you. And everyone else in the team.” you refuted. Bruce sighed sadly in response.

“Perhaps that’s true, since we do all consider each other like family. But trust me, nothing can quite replace blood and Tony’s always been tossed aside, underestimated or left behind all his life by those who were related to him. So when Tony found out that he was a father… It was both daunting and exciting.”

“Well he’s kind of doing a shitty job at being a father.” you replied bitterly.

That comment caused Bruce to turn around, a pained expression on his face.

“(Y/n), he’s trying his best. He’s terrified of not being a good father. His own never really spent time with him and Tony’s lived a life of a playboy workaholic for years. Suddenly learning that he had a daughter to take care of - his own flesh and blood- it was a lot for him to swallow.”

As much as you loathed yourself for succumbing to the guilt, you couldn’t help but see where Bruce was coming from and feel slightly bad for thinking that Tony didn’t care about you. Bruce noticed your resolve dissipate as he spoke earnestly.

“Ever since you came into his life, (Y/n)... Tony’s straightened himself out more than you could imagine. He’s stopped having one night stands permanently. He tries to drink less alcohol during the day. And he’s been taking some time off of his company to manage your life.”

“But… his company is his whole life.” you muttered, confused. Bruce shook his head sideways.

“No, (Y/n), YOU are his whole life. Who do you think was the one who tried to get you into a school? It was Tony. Who do you think kept you away from the paparazzi and convinced the news outlets to delete their articles about you? It was Tony. Hell, he even insisted on making a separate bank account for your college funds even though it wasn’t really necessary with how much money he has. The schools, the privacy, the college fund… He’s trying to give you as normal of a life as he can.”

You were deep in thought when Bruce turned around with a steaming plate of pasta, the tomato sauce perfectly mixed in with a bit of parsley sprinkled on top. He grabbed a cup of water from the side and set it down on the table with a small smile.

“Look, Tony may not be father of the year. But trust me, he doesn’t hate or not care about you. He’s scared, just like you, and even more so because he thinks you absolutely despise him. Just…. please give him a chance.”

You didn’t respond, too lost in your own thoughts as Bruce wished you good night and left the kitchen. You slowly stuck your fork into the pasta and began to eat, yet you couldn’t help but wonder….

Was Tony okay?

* * *

“Welcome back, Mr.Stark.”

Tony waved off JARVIS drunkenly as he stumbled into the living room, his eyes blurry and his feet barely being able to step one in front of another. He collapsed on the nearest couch possible with a groan, the neon clock in the room showing that it was almost 4am. Disoriented and exhausted, Tony turned on the TV in an attempt to provide some light in the dark room.

The TV’s bright screen illuminated the table in front of him, where Tony could clearly see a white piece of paper stuck to surface of the table. Rubbing his eyes, he slowly sat up and snatched up the piece of paper to inspect it. It was a letter. And Tony could instantly recognize the handwriting as yours- causing him to sit up properly and immediately sober up while reading. 

**‘I’ve thought about it and I’ll go back to school.**

**Figured it would be a waste of money and your efforts if I didn’t go back.**

**I hope you’re not too fucking drunk to understand what I’m saying, but yeah. No need for me to make this message any longer.**

 

**From: (Y/n)**

 

**P.S. I don’t hate you as much as you think so stop sulking.’**

A small smile spread across Tony’s face as he read the note, relief and happiness spreading across him in an instant. Chuckling, he folded the note and put it in his front pocket for keepsake and stumbled up to his room.

And for the first time in a while, Tony’s sleep was peaceful and without nightmares. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, Peter survived! 
> 
> And awww, isn't Bruce the best? Him and Tony are such bromance goals. 
> 
> AND I LIVE FOR HAPPY TONY, SO YOU'RE WELCOME.
> 
> Also, I just noticed how LONG my chapters are getting. Sorry. Not sorry. 
> 
> The next chapter will be more Peter-centric, describing your day back to school and how Peter deals with the condition Tony forced upon him: be your friend and protect you from the bullies. It's gonna be real interesting :) :) :) 
> 
> LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED, AND GO CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR IF YOU WANT: @sarcasticdaydreamer.  
> \- Summer xoxo


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter becomes your Physics project partner and screws it up- but sometimes a misstep is what you need for a relationship to flourish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EH I was like should I post this today but I decided to do it anyway because why the hell not.
> 
> Sorry this chapter took me so long, it literally took me forever to determine where this chapter was going and whether or not I wanted to add in the mystery part of the story. I can't spoil it so you gotta read it to find out what I mean by the "new mystery plot" in this story. This chapter is more Peter centric and isn't as "detailed" as the previous chapter, but it's a very important one to the story (especially because of the ending).
> 
> PLEASE LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED IT, AND GO CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR IF YOU WANT: @sarcasticdaydreamer.  
> \- Summer xoxo

“Are you stalking me?”

“W-what?” stuttered Peter, his eyes widening at your abrupt question. You eyed him closely and leaned forward, not believing his seemingly nonchalant demeanor.

“Is there a reason why all of a sudden my schedule’s shifted and I have every single class with you?” you asked, your voice filled with suspicion.

_‘Damn Mr.Stark, he’s smart. But what do I say? I can’t just tell (Y/n) that her dad is practically making me befriend her.’_

Peter scratched his neck awkwardly, eyeing the teacher in hopes that the class would start soon.

“Um, I don’t know. Coincidence, probably. I mean, there is only a certain amount of classes you can be in.” replied Peter, praying  that you couldn’t see through his thin veiled excuse. You raised your eyebrows, not fully believing him, but let the topic go and walked to the back of the room to sit down on an empty seat. Perhaps you were overreacting. Besides, Tony probably called into the school and asked for a reschedule to allow you to have a ‘fresh start.’

The teacher announced the project deadline and asked for everyone to grab a partner, causing you to groan internally.

_‘Who the hell is going to pick me?’_

“Hey Peter, can we be partners?” asked Ned excitedly, poking at a distracted Peter. Peter’s eyes fell on you as Tony’s warning echoed in his head, prompting him to turn around and smile at Ned apologetically.

“Sorry, Ned. Could you partner up with MJ instead?”

“What? Oh. Sure.” replied Ned, confused. The two of them were always partners since freshman year. Who exactly could Peter be choosing instead of him as a partner- oh. Of course.

“Could I be your partner?”

You looked up at Peter in confusion but nodded, not wanting to be assigned a partner you barely knew by the teacher. You scooted your chair inwards, allowing him to pass through and redirected your attention to the teacher. Peter set his backpack down slowly on the floor and took out his notebooks, eyeing at you carefully during the process. You felt his stare but ignored it, only breaking your gaze when the teacher started to hand out the project outline.

“Why are you staring? It’s creepy.” you commented.

Peter blushed bright red.

“I-I’m sorry.”

You sighed.

“Whatever.”

You took the outline from your teacher’s hands and passed one off to Peter, who quietly murmured a thank you. Ignoring him, you scanned the worksheet and took out your pencil.

“Right, so for our Physics project we’ve been assigned the topic of electromagnetic induction. Obviously, this is going to be related to Faraday’s law of induction and Lenz’s law, so the primary focus should be to isolate the factors related to- Are you listening?” you asked, annoyed upon seeing Peter staring at you blankly.

Peter snapped out of his zoned state of mind and nodded eagerly.

“Y-yeah. Uh, sorry.” he replied, prompting you to purse your lips in displeasure before finishing your explanation.

The two of you worked in relative silence for the rest of the class, as the two of you both edited and wrote several proposals on a shared google document. You weren’t keen on making conversations with him because all he had done so far was stutter and stare at you, and Peter wasn't keen on making conversation with you either in fear of sounding like even more of an idiot.

The class bell rang soon enough and you snapped your computer shut, eager to get out of the classroom as soon as possible. Shoving the computer into your bag, you didn’t bother looking up at Peter before speaking.

“After school. Your house or my house?”

Peter’s eyes widened at your question.

“W-what?”

Peter coughed and looked down at the floor, hoping that you couldn’t see how red his cheeks were.  


“A-are you asking me out?” he asked meekly, his heart feeling like it was beating at a thousand times per minute. You stared at him in disgust then smacked him on the head with your folder, not believing what Peter was suggesting. Peter clutched his head in pain and looked up to meet your glare.

“No, genius. We need to work outside of class today on the project so I was wondering whether we should go to your house or my house.”

Words couldn’t describe how mortified Peter was. It seemed so obvious now that you would be talking about the project. He mentally berated himself for thinking you would ever want to go out with him and to jumping to conclusions, starting to pack his things into his bag at lightning speed to mask his embarrassment.

“U-um yeah. Sorry. I’m free today and I don’t care where we go. We can go to yours or mine. Or we could go out. N-not out like a date, but like outside to a cafe-”

You held your hand up and stopped his rambling, his nervousness only irritating you further.

“I rather not deal with Tony or any of the Avengers, so let’s just go to your house. I’ll meet you by the statue at the entrance of the school as soon as school ends.”

Peter only meekly nodded as you kicked in your chair and walked away.

* * *

Peter stopped abruptly in front of his apartment, the door only inches away from his hand but he couldn’t bring himself to open it as usual. You raised your eyebrow, questioning his hesitance as he sighed. Peter flashed you an apologetic smile and leaned over to whisper, trying to explain his situation.

“Right, so um… You should know that my aunt May doesn’t know that you’re coming over. And she can be a little…. you know… excitable-”

You rolled your eyes and opened the door, not bothering to hear the rest of his sentence. You opened the door with a little too much force, however, as the wooden door swung open and bumped into the back wall with a loud bang. The sudden noise caused May to turn around abruptly, turning the television off in a hurry.

“Jesus, what’s the rush, Pet-”

The rest of the sentence died in her mouth as she stared at you in shock, all while Peter hurried in and closed the door gently. Her eyes darted between you and Peter before she jumped forward and embraced you in a tight hug, only releasing you from the bone crushing hug to talk.

“Oh my GOD! I knew that Peter was going to bring a girl home one day but I didn’t think that day was going to be today!” shouted May, smiling like an idiot.

“Aunt May-” started Peter, starting to blush red like a tomato.

May waved him off and lead you to the sofa, sitting you down gently before rushing to the kitchen and rustling through the cupboards.

“What will it be, sweetheart? Do you want water, tea, milk? Or you can have juice: we have orange, apple-”

“Water will be fine, thank you.” you said quietly, greatly amused by May’s enthusiasm and Peter’s inability to speak. Peter coughed awkwardly and placed his bag to the side before sitting down next to you, flashing you an apologetic look.

“Aunt May, she’s-” started Peter, only to be interrupted by an ecstatic May once again.

“She’s so pretty, Peter! Oh and so polite! I’m so happy-”

“MAY!” shouted Peter, his head feeling like it was burning with the force of a thousand suns. His sudden outburst surprised May, forcing her to stopped her babbling and turn around slowly to face her nephew. Peter deeply inhaled to calm himself down then spoke directly.

“She’s not my girlfriend.” muttered Peter.

The smile on May’s face fell immediately before she started apologizing profusely.

“Oh, oh my. I’m sorry, I just thought-”

You held up your hand and stood up.

“It’s an easy mistake. It’s honestly Peter’s fault for not notifying you sooner. I’m just his project partner for Physics. Nothing more.” you replied, assuring May that it wasn’t that big of a deal.

“Oh. Alright.” replied May, unsure of what else to say.

The silence that followed was rather awkward with May no longer speaking, prompting Peter to break the silence and just try to get out of the situation.

“Okay, well, speaking of which. We should really go work on that project now, um, bye May!” yelled Peter before grabbing your hand and dragging you up to his room. You tried not to trip over the stairs with the pace Peter was running as he dragged you, his pace not slowing down until he entered his room and closed the door with a long sigh.

“Sorry about that.” said Peter.

You didn’t reply, only staring at Peter incredulously. Peter tilted his head in response, unsure of why you were staring at him. The tiniest tint of pink flushed across your cheeks as you coughed and pointed to Peter’s hand, which was still linked with yours. Peter’s eyes widened and he  quickly let go of your hand, all while internally screaming at himself for not noticing it sooner. The two of you blushed and looked separate ways for a few moments, only for May to interrupt the silence by carrying in a tray.

“I forgot to bring you guys some water- Am I interrupting something?” asked May, her curious eyes darting between the two of you.

“No.” you replied quickly before taking your unfinished glass from the tray.

Peter also brushed May off, thanking his aunt quietly before sitting down on his desk. May took this as her sign to leave and smiled at you.

“Alright, kids. Have fun doing whatever you geniuses do.”

The sound of the door shutting allowed Peter to breathe out in relief, not believing how disastrous it got in the mere five minutes you were in his house. While Peter looked at you with distraught, you couldn’t help but stare after May with a blank expression. Mistaking it for annoyance or discomfort, Peter quickly apologized.

“I’m really sorry about my aunt, she’s-”

“I really envy you.” you whispered, ever so faintly that Peter almost didn’t catch what you said.

“What?” he asked, confused.

You turned your head and looked at him, the smallest hint of a sad smile on your face.

“I envy you and May. You two seem to get along very well.”

Your sudden comment confused Peter as he forced out a response.

“I…I guess we do, yeah.”

You shook your head sideways.

“No, no… It’s more than that. She really loves you.”

Peter laughed awkwardly, not sure of what to say.

“Um, yeah, she does. She’s like my mom. But then again, everyone’s moms are like that.” said Peter, waving your compliment off. The sound of your mother yelling and dishes shattering behind you echoed in your mind, the sudden memory causing you to grimace.

“Not everyone’s mom.” you replied quietly.

Peter’s smile disappeared and was replaced with concern.

“What do you mean not everyone’s mom?” asked Peter gently.

“Whatever. Forget what I said.” you said while starting to take out things from your bag, regretting your comment. Peter didn’t drop the subject, however, only placing his hand carefully on your shoulder.

“(Y/n), what do you mean by not everyone’s mom?” he asked again, only for you to turn around quickly with anger burning in your eyes.

“I said, DROP IT PETER. I don’t want to talk about it.”

You ignored his apologies and opened up your computer, only focused on working on this dumb project and then getting out of here as fast as possible. The rest of the night was uneventful, mainly because any conversation outside of the project was basically nonexistent. You refused to talk unless it was necessary to the project, and no matter how many times Peter apologized or tried to make small talk you remained closed off.

When the clock hit eight o’clock you snapped your computer shut and texted Happy, all while Peter stared at you shyly and tried to come up with a better apology in his head. The moment he opened his mouth, however, you slung your backpack over your shoulder and walked away. Peter had the sudden urge to run after you but stayed put, only watching your silhouette disappear down the hallway.

Fuck.

He wasn’t sure how he was going to fix this one.

* * *

“I screwed up Ned.” said Peter glumly while poking at his food with a fork.

“What do you mean?” asked Ned, taking a bite into his sandwich. Peter sighed, not sure of where to even begin.

“Mr.Stark wants me to try to be friends with (Y/n) and it’s not working out whatsoever.” replied Peter, his voice filled with exhaustion and desperation.

Ned stared at him in curiosity.

“Don’t you have like, every class with her?”

Peter sighed and turned around.

“That’s the thing! Mr.Stark basically set it up so it would be super easy to talk to her and befriend her but…. I messed it up already.”

Ned rolled his eyes playfully.

“Oh come on, Peter, you’re exaggerating.” said Ned, elbowing Peter. Peter was not amused, however, only staring back at Ned with hollow eyes.

“No, it was really bad.” assured Peter, only for Ned to wave him off dismissively.

“Yeah right, what could you have said that was so bad-”

“I pressured her to tell me about her mom without thinking about WHY she would be so closed off about it.” interrupted Peter before throwing down his fork in frustration.

Ned let out an understanding “oh” and toned down his sarcasm, pausing for a moment before flashing Peter a sympathetic smile.

“Yikes. Never mind. That is bad.”

“Tell me about it.” replied Peter.

A few moments passed as Peter went back to poking at his food, his appetite nonexistent because of the bitter taste of disappointment on his tongue.

“It’s even worse because I’m supposed to go over to her house today to work on the project.” added in Peter, running a hand down his face in worry. Ned hummed in response before replying.

“Well maybe you should just be honest with her. You know, genuinely apologize and promise her that you won’t do that again?”

Peter looked up at where you were sitting, observing how you listened attentively at MJ while leaning forward on the table with your elbows. He took a few moments to admire how the sunlight was carving into your cheekbones then looked back at Ned, trying to ignore how quickly his heart was beating.

“Y-yeah. I guess. I’ll try my best.”

* * *

“Brother Peter, it has been too long!” shouted Thor the moment Peter entered the living area of the tower. The rest of the Avengers turned around quickly while Peter started to freak out, the threat of Thor spilling his secret ever so eminent.

“Thor, how do you know Peter?” you asked suspiciously, causing Thor to panic.

“Yes. Well, about that….”

“Peter has an internship with Tony so he’s been in the Stark tower multiple times. Right, Peter?” asked Natasha, her lie rolling off her tongue flawlessly. Peter envied how Natasha seemed to be able to lie with such ease (he supposed it was because she was a trained assassin and he was not), and only nodded furiously- not trusting himself to be able to speak without stuttering.

“Okay…” you replied halfheartedly, not completely believing Natasha.

You turned around and walked towards the elevator, only for Tony to step out of the metal doors at that moment.

“(Y/n), you’re home- Oh. Hello Peter.”

Tony’s happy tone was quickly replaced with one of disscontempt, causing Peter to shrink with anxiety.

“Hello Mr.Stark.” replied Peter nervously.

“What are you doing here?” asked Tony, an edge of disinterest in his voice. You rolled your eyes at his tone.

“It’s for a physics project, Tony. Speaking of which, move.”

You shoved past Tony and pressed the elevator button, while Peter quietly trailed behind you and tried to ignore the burning gaze Tony was giving him. The trip up to your room was instant, and you threw your jacket off the moment you entered your room and tossed it onto your bed.

“Open the curtains, JARVIS.” you announced, causing the large black curtains to move apart- revealing the sun kissed skyline of New York City. The two of you sat down at your table, simultaneously opening up your computers and editing the project outline in utter silence. The only sounds in the room was the sound of typing and occasional scribbling of paper as Peter looked up at you from the corner of his eye.

You looked so focused, with your (e/c) eyes reflecting the bright sunlight shining through the windows and your teeth biting your lip slightly in frustration. He again admired your beauty in silence, half in awe and half unsure of how to get you to forgive him. You caught onto his staring and stopped abruptly, glaring at Peter.

“What?” you asked in annoyance.

_‘It’s now or never.’_

“I’m really, really sorry.” said Peter, causing you to scowl.

“I know.” you replied before getting back to writing your thesis, only for Peter to gently grab your wrist- stopping you from working.

“N-no you don’t.” continued Peter, trying to sound more confident than he was feeling. “It was really wrong of me to try to get you to open up about your mother. I’m sorry. I’m terribly, terribly sorry. I should have never pressured you, no matter how much I want to know more about you-”

“Why would you want to know more about me?” you asked, your voice softening at his apology. Peter chuckled, unsure of how to word his feelings.

“W-well, you know… You’re smart, you seem pretty cool and uh, you’re also really pretty.” finished Peter, looking down in embarrassment.

“Oh.”

You could feel yourself blushing furiously, your face turning red like a stop light despite how much you were trying to suppress your feelings. Peter coughed to break the tension, not sure of whether he should’ve said the last part or not.

“I-I’m sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have said-” started Peter, only to be interrupted by your soft voice.

“No, no. It’s just… that’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me.”

Your reply broke Peter’s heart, prompting him to smile at you sympathetically.

“Well, it’s true. And I really am sorry. I promise I won’t push you to do anything like that again. Here, I’ll pinky promise.”

Peter held up his pinky finger in the air, waiting for you to link your finger with his. A small hint of a smile spread across your face as you stared at him.

“That’s not how it works, Peter.”

“What do you mean that’s not how it works?” questioned Peter, confused.

“In order for us to make a pinky promise, it’s only fair that I make a promise to you as well. I-” you inhaled, preparing yourself.

“I know that I’ve been really bitchy and cold and distant… But now I see that I shouldn’t be. At least not to you.” you added in quickly, not wanting to come off as too sentimental. You shook your head sideways then linked your pinky with his while speaking.

“While you promise to not push me about my past, I promise to be less of a bitch.”

Peter laughed, the tension in the room dissolving as he smiled back at you. He pressed down his finger, completing the promise. You smiled at him, and Peter couldn’t help but marvel at how beautiful just a simple smile could be on your face.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUHHHH.
> 
> Ooh bitches this is when it's gonna get REAL interesting. We're moving slightly away from drama/family angst and more into the adventure/mystery part of the series. Sorry, I know I kinda made it seem like it was all gonna be all about family angst but then we wouldn't be able to write much, now would we? The next chapter will be much more interesting, I feel like this chapter was kinda boring so sorry about that.
> 
> But like I said, this chapter is very important because it shows the real "beginning" of you and Peter's relationship and obviously, it exposes Cheryl as not being the person she said she was. I hope the cliff hanger at least makes up for the chapter, idk if it was good lollllll.
> 
> PLEASE LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED IT, AND GO CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR IF YOU WANT: @sarcasticdaydreamer.  
> \- Summer xoxo


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a disturbing dream that you can't understand and go for a walk outside- only to run into trouble. Thankfully, Spiderman is there to save the day :)
> 
> WARNING: violence, crude language, abuse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI GUYS!
> 
> Today was my first day back to school and I'm so exhausted. Hence forth, imma keep this short. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please understand if my next updates are a little longer since I started school.
> 
> PLEASE LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED, AND GO CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR IF YOU WANT: @sarcasticdaydreamer.  
> \- Summer xoxo

**WARNING in this chapter there will be: violence, crude language, abuse**

* * *

_Running._

_You were running as fast as you could._  


_Everything around you was a blur of colors and your head was pounding, the adrenaline rush not unfamiliar but certainly not welcoming. The sound of your erratic heartbeat and your short, labored breaths filled your ears as you ran away from your mother. Not daring yourself to look back, all you did was run and run until you couldn’t stand it anymore. You leaned over and tried to catch your breath while your mother’s voice echoed from behind you, the terrifying sound becoming louder and louder._

_“(Y/n), get your fucking ass here right now before I beat you with a baseball bat.”_

_Your tears were now flowing freely and the taste of salt was bitter on your lips as you forced yourself to run up the stairs and locked the door behind you as quickly as you could. The heavy footsteps behind you were getting louder, along with your mom’s voice bellowing from down the hallway._

_“I don’t like playing games, (Y/n). Just come out now and we can end it early.”_

_Panicking, you spot a chair from the corner of your eye and quickly place it underneath the door- effectively jamming the door knob. You jump back as the door begins to shake, the wooden frame vibrating as your mom pounded on the door._

_“Seriously, you better open this fucking door right now.”_

_Desperate, you look around the room to find anything you could defend yourself with. You turn around towards the bed but pause, your mind suddenly slowing down and the screaming from your mother blurring out into a distant noise. The room looks normal: a large bed with wooden bed posts and pink satin silk sheets, a mirror hanging in the back with a golden frame, a wooden drawer on the side of the wall next to a small television, a pile of clothes hazardously tossed onto a lone chair in the corner of the room…._

_Everything looked fine._

_But something_ **_just_ ** _didn’t feel right._

 _You couldn’t tell what it was, but you felt like something wasn’t adding up. Something was fake, something wasn’t real, something was…._ **_Off_ ** _._

_You slowly approached the bed and ran your finger down the bedpost, almost afraid of whether or not what you’d be touching would feel different. The texture was harsh and bumpy, just as you imagined, so you let out a sigh of relief and stepped backwards. Perhaps you were overreacting._

_“Got you, you little bitch.”_

_You screamed and turned back to see that your mother had successfully broken down the door, breaking the chair in the process. Stepping over the debris, your mom raised the bat high as she stepped forward- the sound of crunching glass loud underneath her feet. Stepping backwards, you backed up against the wall in fear as she approached while panting like a wild animal. As your mother raised her bat, you raised your arms up high in anticipation- shutting your jaw shut as tightly as you could to brace for the pain._

_Her arm swung down, you squeezed your eyes shut, and then...._

_Darkness._

_A pair of dark red eyes staring at you from the mirror._

You woke up with a heaving gasp, sitting up in bed in one swift motion and grasping your bed sheets for life. You quickly scanned your room, only being able to make out outlines of objects from the moonlight streaming through the gap of the closed curtains, before lying back on the bed in relief.

_‘It was all a dream…’_

Carefully placing your clammy hand on your face, you could suddenly feel how flushed and hot your skin was because of that nightmare. Wiping the sweat off from your forehead, you kicked off your bed sheets and stood up, the cold fall breeze comforting your heated skin.

You turned around to the clock to see that it was only 2am in the morning- meaning it was far too early for anyone to be awake but not late enough for Tony to not still be tinkering in the lab. Not wanting to have to deal with his concern or prodding questions, you briefly considered what to do.

_‘I need some fresh air.’_

Slipping into a comfortable hoodie and a pair of black sweatpants, you quickly grabbed your phone from your night stand and took the elevator to the first floor.

The moment you stepped out of the tower, the cool early morning breeze felt like heaven as it caressed your skin and gently blew your hair to the side. A car rushing nearby honked, causing you to jump and step up out of the road and into the brightly lit sidewalk. Calming yourself down, you walked aimlessly among the empty sidewalks without nothing but the mundane sounds of traffic noises and your thoughts to accompany you.

The streets of New York were almost completely empty, considering the time of day, allowing you to walk silently with a few stops here and there to wait for the traffic lights to turn green. Weirdly enough, the walk felt very…. liberating. For the first time in your life, you felt free and uncontrolled- walking in the streets of New York by yourself, in the middle of the night.

You entered a nearby 711 and opened the door, the familiar bell ringing throughout the store. Ignoring the stare and short greeting from the employee working the shift, you walked down the aisles looking for something to drink before settling on a bottle of green tea.

_‘This should calm me down from that dream.’_

After paying for the drink, you wandered aimlessly until you found a quaint park in the middle of nowhere. Passing by a lake, you decided to settle on the bench and quietly drink your tea while pondering over your dream. You knew that it was only that: a dream. And yet… it felt so **real** . So **familiar**.

_‘Well of course it’s familiar. She did really hit me with that baseball bat- I had bruises all over my legs and arms for the rest of that week.’_

The red eyes suddenly flashed into your brain, the sight ugly and confusing.

_‘Everything was familiar except for those eyes that were staring at me from the mirror… What does it mean?’_

The tea now suddenly felt too bitter in your mouth, prompting you to glance at your phone to see that it was already almost 3:30.

_‘One and a half hours…. That’s a while. I should be getting back.’_

You stood up while still staring at your phone, resulting you to accidentally bump into a group of rowdy men. The tallest one turned around and groaned, the smell of alcohol on his breath strong but not overwhelming as he yelled at you.

“Watch where you’re going, you-”

He paused, suddenly narrowing his eyes at you.

The slight wind passing through the park brushed against your cheek, making you realise that when you bumped into the group, your hoodie had fell off and exposed your face. Witholding a gasp, you quickly tried to drag your hoodie back over your face only for the man to grip you harshly by your wrist.

“Hey, fellas, what do you know…. It’s Tony Stark’s daughter.” said the man, a sinister grin on his face.

His friends turned around simultaneously, with one of them stepping forward and leering at you.

“You’re right, I’ve seen her face plastered all over the news. Wealthy bitch, how much do you think her daddy will pay for her?”

The man holding you smiled and tugged you closer, while you were too frozen in fear to speak.

“Probably millions. Imagine all the money we could do with that.”

The group hummed in appreciation.

“You’re coming with us, bitch. Oh, and give us trouble by screaming or struggling-”

The tallest one took out a sharp knife and traced your collarbone, the sharp edge lightly digging into your skin.

“It’ll hurt a lot. Got it?”

You nodded, tears starting to form in your eyes.

“Let’s go, bitch.”

The man started to tug you but only managed to take a few steps before there was a silhouette standing behind them.

“You shouldn’t call a lady a bitch.”

You didn’t even have time to turn around before there was a flash of red and blue swinging by, promoting your assaulter to start shooting at the moving target while his friends got webbed to the side. The man’s blood ran cold upon seeing each of his friends drop one by one like flies before Spiderman stopped and landed in front of the two of you. Out of desperation, he pulled the trigger again- only for it to be revealed that he was out of bullets. Swearing, he took the knife out and put it back onto your throat- this time pressing down hard enough to draw blood.

“You come any closer, and I’ll slit this bitch’s throat.” warned the man, his voice wavering from fear.

Spiderman immediately stopped and slowly put his hands up, signaling defeat. For a moment you were scared that the superhero was going to let this crazy man take you away, only for a web to knock the knife to the side and for Spiderman to come running at the two of you. The man yelped in fear and pushed you away before running for his life in the other direction.

The concrete floor cut into your pants as you were forced down onto the harsh surface, the last few moments causing your surroundings to spin and your breathing to start becoming heavy. All you could hear was the ringing in your ears and you felt like you were going to throw up, pass out or both.

“Hey, hey, are you alright?”

You couldn’t respond to the superhero, prompting him to lean down and carefully place his hand on your shoulder.

“I need you to calm down, can you do that?”

You looked up at him and jumped backwards, the sudden touch sending shivers down your spine. Peter sighed and took his mask off for a split second, allowing your eyes to widen in recognition. You stopped in your tracks, no longer moving away as he put his mask back on and slowly approached you.

“It’s ok, (Y/n), I’m here.”

You didn’t protest as he embraced you in a hug, the affection warm and comforting after what just happened. He gently let go after a few moments to speak.

“I just called the police and they’ll be here to take them away so we need to leave. Can I… uh… swing you away?”

You weakly nodded, but before Peter could wrap his arm around your waist you stopped him, looking at him right in the eyes.

“J-just not to the tower, okay? T-tony will get mad, everyone will get mad cause I’m not supposed to leave without permission.”

Peter nodded quickly and in just a few moments, you arrived in front of Peter’s apartment. He swung open the door with ease and lead you up to his room, holding your hand and gently leading you up the stairs. You were still shaky from the incident but wobbled up the stairs, trying your best to not trip on your feet.

The door to his room swung shut abruptly, causing you to jump at the loud noise while Peter muttered a quiet apology. He led you to his bed and sat you down on the comfy mattress, before walking towards his closet with his back turned. An awkward silence passed before he coughed.

“So… um… I need to change so could you, uh-”

You blushed and looked downwards, staring at the pattern of his bed sheets.

“Oh! Yeah. Um, I’m not looking.” you said, starting to fiddle with the edge of his bedsheets out of anxiety. You heard the shuffling of clothes and didn’t dare to look up until you felt Peter’s warm hand on yours, his brown eyes gazing at you with worry.

“You’ve got a cut.” said Peter quietly, tracing where the man had cut into you with his knife. You ignored how good his touch felt and played it off.

“The wound isn’t that deep, Peter.” you replied. Peter shook his head before opening his drawers and taking out a first aid kit.

“Why do you have that?” you questioned as he opened up the small box and dug out some rubbing alcohol.

“When you’re Spiderman, injuries are just part of the job. And most of the time, I need to fix them up myself so I always keep a medicine box in my room just in case. Speaking of which….”

You hissed as he dabbed some alcohol onto your cut, the wound now feeling like it was on fire. Peter gave you an apologetic look before taking the alcohol away and placing a bandage over your wound. His fingers were warm as he gently pressed down on the bandage, making sure that it would stick and not allow any of the blood to leak out. There was a brief moment of silence where you two were just staring at each other, allowing you to take advantage of the moment.

“So… you’re Spiderman…” you started, unsure of how to continue.

Peter looked up and sighed, not sure of how he was going to apologize.

“Look, (Y/n), I’m really sorry-”

You smiled.

“For what?”

Peter stared at you dumbfounded.

“For not telling you, I-”

You cut him off by putting your hand on his hand, your voice sincere and soft.

“Peter, you have nothing to apologize for. You just saved my life. If you weren’t there to stop them, I-” you took in a deep breath before continuing. “I don’t know what would’ve happened to me. Thank you for protecting me.”

Peter’s body went rigid when you leaned forward and hugged him, your hair tickling his neck and the sweet aroma of your shampoo enveloping him quickly. The sudden tenderness caught him off guard, but he quickly snapped out of it and hugged back, enjoying the feeling of you in his arms. When you separated, you had a smile on your face so bright that Peter couldn’t help but smile back.

“Where’s May?” you asked, suddenly curious. Peter chuckled.

“She’s gone for the weekend. It’s a Saturday, remember? She’ll be back on Monday morning.”

“Oh.”

Neither of you spoke for a few moments, just enjoying the company of each other until you yawned- the exhaustion now sweeping over you after such an eventful day. You glanced at the clock in his room and sighed, knowing that you had to get going home soon.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, worried.

“It’s getting really late… I should get going soon. I can’t wait for Tony to yell at me and ground me for life.” you muttered bitterly, not looking forward to the lecture you would have to face from him (and probably from the rest of the Avengers) when you returned. Peter quickly caught onto your worries and shook his head.

“Well… you can crash here. Since May’s not home, you can take her room. I can text Mr.Stark and tell him that you had to come over to work on the project or something.” suggested Peter.

“Really? You would do that for me?” you asked quietly, not believing your ears.

 **“I’d do anything for you.”** blurted out Peter, causing you to blush.

“Thank you so much, Peter. Do you have a change of clothes I can slip into? These aren’t exactly the most comfortable to sleep in.” you asked, gesturing to your clothes while speaking. Peter nodded and opened his closet, pondering on what to give you.

“A-are you sure you want to sleep in my clothes? I-I mean, I don’t have any girl clothes-”

You rolled your eyes and took out a random t-shirt and a pair of trousers from his closet before holding them up.

“Can I borrow these to sleep in?”

Peter meekly nodded before you walked out the door to go to May’s room, leaving Peter alone with his thoughts. He sighed in relief, allowing his anxiety and tension to dissolve from having you so close to him for a long time.

_‘I’ll do anything for you, really? She probably thinks I’m some weird freak now.’_

He laid back on his bed and tried to erase it from his memory, but sleep did not come easy for him. The smell of your hair was addicting and he suddenly yearned for your touch, even if it was short and in the form of friendly hugs.

_‘God I’m weird.’_

“Hey, Peter…”

Peter looked up to see you in his shirt and trousers, the sight enough for his throat to close up and his mind to admire just how fucking good you looked in his clothes. It took him a moment to respond, his mind so transfixed on how you looked.

“Um, yeah?” he asked, sitting up.

“I… I can’t sleep by myself. T-the darkness is too much after tonight. So is it okay if I… crash here?” you mumbled to the floor, unable to look him in the eye. Peter jumped off his bed and nodded feverishly.

“Um, yeah! Of course! Whatever you need.”

“D-don’t worry, I’ll sleep on the floor or something-” you said quickly, only for Peter to interrupt you.

“No, you can’t sleep on the floor. The bed’s big enough for both of us to share. U-unless that’s too weird, oh god, it does sound weird, I’m sorry, I’ll sleep on the floor-”

You quietly laughed.

“It’s fine, Peter. I don’t mind sharing the bed as long as there’s space.”

Peter nodded then gestured to the empty spot in the bed, prompting you to close the door gently and climb into bed. It was a bit awkward when you lied down, as you weren’t sure whether you should be facing away from Peter or if you were taking up too much space. You tried to ignore how quickly your heart was beating and turned your back on him, not wanting Peter to see how much you were blushing due to the proximity of your bodies.

“Good night.” you mumbled, earning a quiet good night back from Peter. There were only a few more moments of silence before you fell asleep, the fatigue washing over you quickly and easily. Peter (despite a part of him screaming at him that it was creepy) stayed up and watched you sleep, admiring the way your body curved and the way your chest moved up and down as you breathed.

He smiled and turned around to fall asleep, only to hear you start whimpering.

_‘She’s probably having nightmares.’_

Scared as if he was going to break you, he reached out hesitantly and pulled you close to him, causing you to turn over and face him. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest as he gently placed his hand on your waist, the touch causing your whimpers to suddenly stop and for you to lean closer towards him.

A part of him had to admit that this might be crossing the line but the other part of him just didn’t care, happy to be holding you and happy knowing that you were safe from all the troubles of the world. Cuddling you, it only took a few more minutes for Peter to fall asleep- a smile on his face as he did so.

Everything was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AWWW SO MUCH FLUFF YES I LIVE FOR PETER PARKER FLUFF
> 
> The dream is an important hint so I hope you guys try to ponder over it for a while.... Also Tony is keeping the investigation a secret, is that a wise thing to do? 
> 
> Who knows (dun dun duhhhh).
> 
> Again, I STARTED SCHOOL SO MY NEXT UPDATE MAY TAKE LONGER.
> 
> PLEASE LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED, AND GO CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR IF YOU WANT: @sarcasticdaydreamer.  
> -Summer xoxo


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's exhaustion is hitting on all time peak after weeks of intense research and missions back to back, and fears the worst when he opens your room door to find you gone. He's furious when he finds you in Peter's apartment, but his anger drives him to do more than just yell.
> 
> Tony does something he'll never be able to take back, something he's not sure of how to fix.
> 
> (Lots of angst, slight fluff in the middle, THIS IS MY MOST FAVORITE CHAPTER I'VE WRITTEN)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALRIGHTTTTTTTTTYYYY
> 
> So. This update took long cause I'm a senior in high school, blah blah blah I have a lot to do, okay?
> 
> PLEASE LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED, GO CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR @marvelsswansong. (I changed my username lel)
> 
> \- Summer xoxo

32 hours.

That had to be a record.

It had been 32 hours since Tony last slept, his eyes were beginning to close but his mind was in severe disagreement with the rest of his body. It seemed like years ago that Tony waved Bruce off and promised him that he would only be up for “a few more hours”- only for it to become midnight, then dawn, then almost noon.

Tony couldn’t tell whether he was running on pure panic or almost overdosing on caffeine, but he was somewhere in the middle. He was ignoring all signs of sleep deprivation in order to continue to research: he was so close to figuring out the prototype, but the weeks of back-to-back missions and late nights in the lab were not servicing him well. 

Exhaustion eventually beat him, however, drawing a yawn from his mouth. Tony vaguely noted at the back of his mind that his eyes were getting blurry but refused to give in, only to feel himself start swaying sideways- unable to keep balance.

_‘God damn it, I need rest.’_

Slamming his computer shut, Tony stubbornly rubbed his eyes before dragging himself out of his chair and stumbling to the elevator.

“Good morning, Tony. Or rather, should I say good night cause I’m guessing you didn’t get any sleep at all?” commented Natasha dryly, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Tony only groaned in response and clicked the up button to arrive to his floor, only for the elevator to stop part-way.

“Good morning, Mr.Stark. Would you like to check in on (Y/n)?”

_‘Shit.’_

Ever since Tony had gotten so wrapped up in the investigation, he had stopped checking in on you once in a while. Previously (not that he would ever tell you), Tony had a habit of checking on you while you were sleeping, mainly because he couldn’t help but feel at least some sort of relief by being able to open your door and see your calm sleeping figure tucked underneath the sheets.

“Sure.” replied Tony, allowing the doors to slide open.

Careful to not wake you, Tony quietly opened the door with one hand on the knob while pushing the door forward with his other- allowing the door to swing open partially without making a noise. His fear of waking you, however, soon got replaced with something much more sinister when he realized that you were in fact nowhere to be seen.

Entering the room quickly, he called out your name before walking over to the bathroom- it was empty as well.

“JARVIS, is (Y/n) still in the tower?” asked Tony carefully, not wanting to jump to conclusions.

“No sir.” replied JARVIS, prompting Tony to spin around in anger.

“WHAT? How could you not alert me?” asked Tony furiously, a mix of worry and anxiety starting to creep into his heart.

“I tried to, sir, but at the time of her exit you were making a quote ‘very important phone call’ and asked to be left alone.”

“What time did she leave the tower?”

“Around 2am, sir.”

Tony quickly glanced at his wristwatch to see the time- it was already approaching eleven o’clock in the morning, meaning that you had not returned for about nine hours. A sinking feeling hit his stomach, his previous feelings of fatigue replaced immediately with ones of panic and fear. Tony’s mind was now racing with worst case scenarios and a list of possible people who could have hurt you to get to him, causing his heart to feel like it was being squeezed in the most excruciating way possible.

The world around him began to spin, the mix of colors and sounds blurring into the background as his heartbeat rapidly increased. His actions were now automatic, and his mind was blank. You had disappeared.

Gone.

For 9 hours.

Tony didn’t even recall pushing any button as he sprinted down to the living room floor, only to run straight back into Natasha. She didn’t even flinch as Tony ran into her, his chest heaving and his eyes wide from panicking. Sensing trouble, she put down her coffee mug and asked him what was wrong.

“(Y/n) left the tower by herself and she hasn’t come back yet.”

Natasha’s jaw clenched as her eyes hardened, grasping the severity of the situation quickly.

“Alright, calm down Tony. Do you know if she has her phone with her?”

Tony grasped his hair in frustration.

“I-I mean, I don’t know! I wasn’t there to see her leave! Oh my god, she’s probably in danger, this is all my fault I should’ve kept a closer eye on her-” rambled Tony, only for Natasha to ask JARVIS a question.

“JARVIS, did (Y/n) leave with her phone?”

“Yes, Ms.Romanoff, she did.”

Natasha sighed in relief before gently placing her hands on Tony’s shoulder, stopping his derogatory rant and giving him a rare smile.

“Relax, Tony. Because (Y/n) has her phone with her, we can probably track her location. Don’t worry so much, okay? We don’t even know if she’s in trouble yet.”

The next five minutes of trying to locate your cell phone were absolute hell for Tony, his mind suffering from both lack of sleep and the worst kind of an adrenaline rush as his fingers flew over the keyboard. Natasha tried to maintain her composure, hoping for the best while looking over Tony’s shoulder at the screen. Perhaps due to Tony’s intellect and perhaps due to the pressure, the screen alerted him right away that the program had successfully found your location.

“Alright, she’s in-” started Tony, relieved, only to stop talking once his eyes settled on the address.

“....Isn’t that Peter’s address?” questioned Natasha, squinting her eyes at the neatly written address on the screen.

Tony clenched his jaw before speaking, fear dissapaiting only to be replaced with the bitter taste of betrayal.

“...I’m gonna kill him.”

* * *

You woke up to warmth.

Warmth flooding through the curtains, the sunshine peeking through the gaps of his caramel curtains and bathing the room in warm colors of yellow and orange as a result. There was another source of warmth from the blanket draped over you, and you snuggled into the comfort of the sheets without thinking about it.

Then there was some warmth coming from your…. waist?

Wait.

What?

You glanced down at your waist to see someone’s arms tightly wrapped around them, and you quickly whipped around to see Peter’s asleep face inches away from yours. The smell of his cologne immediately enveloped you, the proximity of his face allowing you to notice the small details- the faded scars on his cheek from fighting, his curls messy and colored a dark brown, his eyelashes fluttering as he breathed in and out....

The affection was intimate and new, and while you knew that you should probably move apart, you somehow couldn’t bring yourself to do so. Truth be told, you had never felt so safe in your life- shut off from the world, simply in Peter’s arms. The embarrassment wasn’t even existent anymore, as instead of blushing you were instead… smiling.

Leaning into his touch unknowingly, you placed your head into the crook of his neck gently- the slight motion waking Peter up.

“What the…. Oh!”

The warmth curled around your waist was immediately ripped away from you as Peter blushed, his face turning bright red.

“I-I’m sorry, (Y/n). I-I shouldn’t have um, cuddled you but y-you were having nightmares and I-I didn’t want you to be scared-”

You cut him off by placing your hand on his, stopping his rambling before you gently brought his calloused hands over to rest back on your waist. Peter’s breath caught in his throat as he felt himself being pulled towards you, your eyes sparkling with both amusement and genuine happiness.

“It’s fine, Peter. I like being held by you.”

“Oh, um… Okay.” stuttered Peter, his blush only worsening. He forced himself to stop admiring your morning beauty and instead pulled you closer, similar to how he ended up falling asleep with you a few hours ago. Feeling your breath on his chest and wrapping his other arm around you, he hoped that you couldn’t feel just how quickly his heart was beating.

“....Is this okay?” whispered Peter quietly.

“It’s perfect.” you mumbled back, causing Peter to sigh in agreement.

The two of you stayed like that for a few moments, wrapped up in each other’s warmth and ignoring the business of the world occurring right outside his apartment. You were feeling so many foreign emotions at once, ranging from feeling content to something more intense. Something like... **love**.

Peter was pulling you in closer and closer, slowly breaking down your walls and you could feel yourself gladly surrender to him.

The tranquility of that moment was shattered, however, when Peter’s door swung open and Tony entered the room- his arms crossed and his head held high.

“PETER.”

The two of you sat up quickly, prompting Tony’s gaze to now land on you. His sentence died his throat when he saw that you were wearing Peter’s clothes, as his anger immediately dissipated into shock: not believing what he was seeing.

“So- Uh…. I-I see that you two um-”

You quickly kicked off the bed sheets and stood up, coughing to cover up your blush as you reached over and gathered your clothes from last night. Ignoring Tony’s burning gaze, you stood up and held your clothes near your chest in almost a defensive way. The tension in the room was only broken by Tony, who himself was still lost in what had happened.

“(Y/n)... Was this why you left the tower? To be with Peter and to… you know.” asked Tony carefully, unsure.

You knew what Tony was implying, and while it wasn’t true, you knew that you had no other way of getting out of the situation. You were about to open your mouth to reply when Peter cut in, also getting up from his bed.

“Yes. I-er, I’m sorry.”

Your eyes widened at his response- he was trying to cover for you!

Tony’s jaw clenched at Peter’s reply, a slow exhale and the clenching of his fists indicating that Tony was not happy. Gesturing for you to come forward, you walked towards Tony as he put his hand on your back and led you out the door. You didn’t protest, only fearing that you would make the situation worst, only for Tony to pause halfway out the door and look back.

“No suit for a whole month, Peter.”

Peter felt as if someone had knocked the wind out of him.

“B-but Mr.Stark-” stuttered Peter, only to be interrupted by an angry Tony.

“But nothing, Peter. This is one of the most reckless thing you- BOTH of you, have ever done. I was worried SICK. My daughter disappears out of nowhere with almost no trace, all because of YOU and you want me to act like it was nothing? Save it, Peter. No suit. For. A. Whole. Month.”

“YOU CAN’T DO THAT, TONY.” you yelled, frustrated at Tony ripping Peter apart for something he wasn’t at fault for.

“Really? And why not?” questioned Tony, his hostile gaze landing on you.

“BECAUSE HE’S LYING. I DIDN’T LEAVE THE TOWER TO COME TO HIS HOUSE.” you retorted, only for Tony’s to grab your wrist and force you to look at him.

“Explain. Now.”

The authority in his voice sent shivers down your spine but you managed to hold your ground, looking up at him with an equal amount of ferocity in your eyes.

“I’ll explain everything if you give Peter back his suit.”

Tony debated it for a moment before giving in.

“FINE. Peter, I won’t take away your suit. (Y/n), you will explain everything and I mean EVERYTHING the MOMENT we get back to the tower.”

Peter sighed in relief, prompting Tony to look back and give him a warning glare.

“But if she tells me anything that is your fault, I WILL have Happy drive back here and take your suit.”

And with that, Peter’s bedroom door slammed shut.

* * *

The ride back to the tower was tense to say the least.

You weren’t foolish enough to speak, and Tony was keeping his mouth shut- determined to not speak until the tower to make his point clear. Happy got the message the moment you entered the car, keeping his eyes on the road and not daring to make a sound. You dreaded entering as the tower came into view, but you knew it couldn’t be avoided any longer so you begrudgingly accepted your fate.

Trailing behind Tony, he stopped the elevator at the living area and made you sit down on the couch.

“Alright, we’re here. Now explain.”

You took in a deep breath before speaking, already feeling the anger radiating off of him.

“I… I had a nightmare and needed to clear my head. It was like, 2 in the morning so I went out for a walk. I ended up at a park and ran into um…”

You looked down at the floor, unable to continue in fear of Tony’s reaction. He wasn’t having it at all, however, only raising his voice.

“Ran into who?” he asked.

You let out a shaky breath.

“Ran into some… bad people. They tried to kidnap me and talked about how much money you would pay for me-”

“YOU DID WHAT?” screamed Tony, his fury causing you to cringe.

“I...I know, I wasn’t thinking. I-if it wasn’t for Peter saving me, I-I don’t know what would’ve happened-”

“HOW THE FUCK COULD YOU DO THAT, (Y/N)?” yelled Tony, anger boiling in his veins. You shivered at his tone and slowly stood on your shaky legs to speak.

“I-I’m sorry, I know I-”

“THEY COULD HAVE KILLED YOU. CUT INTO YOU. TORTURE YOU. AND I WOULD HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE WHERE YOU WOULD BE.”

Tony stepped closer towards you as he spoke, his vision almost red as he was seething with anger. His mind was no longer logical, as anger was clouding his thoughts and ripples of harsh words tumbled out of his mouth without thought. Tony’s voice was loud enough to cause Steve and Natasha to come running into the living room, only to stop to watch the situation unfold.

“I-I’m sorry, I-I don’t know what else to say-” you started, only for Tony to laugh sarcastically.

“NOW YOU DON’T HAVE A COMEBACK? NOW YOU’RE WILLING TO SAY MORE THAN FIVE WORDS TO ME?” screamed Tony.

“Tony, stop.” muttered Natasha, stepping forward.

“NO, STAY OUT OF THIS.” yelled back Tony, glaring at Natasha and Steve. You took in a shaky breath and spoke.

“Please, let me explain, I-”

Tony’s hand flew up instinctively and struck down onto your cheek, effectively cutting of the rest of your apology. The sound was loud and he was strong, forcing you to walk backwards from the pure force of which Tony hit you with. Starting to cry, you slowly reached up and put your hand onto your cheek- the skin now red and warm from the abusive contact.

Steve didn’t waste a single second before going up to Tony and punching him onto the ground, while Natasha quickly enveloped you into a hug and shielded you away from Tony’s sight.

“I suggest you calm down, Stark.” growled Steve, his voice no longer soft but authoritative. “Natasha, please take her upstairs.”

Natasha nodded and gently lead you up to the elevator, all while you covered your face into Natasha’s neck and sobbed. Wordlessly, she opened up your bedroom door and sat you down on your bed, holding you close and rubbing soothing circles onto your back as you cried.

“I-I’m sorry.” you croaked out, embarrassed that you were crying out of control.

Natasha shook away her murderous thoughts of killing Tony and only shushed you.

“Don’t be sorry, (Y/n). You did nothing wrong.”

You nodded at her kind response and simply let the tears take back over, crying until you were simply too exhausted to cry. She sensed your exhaustion and gently laid you on the bed, only for your eyes to fly open in panic.

“W-wait, I-I don’t want to be alone.”

Natasha softly smiled.

“Don’t worry, (Y/n). Go to sleep. I promise I’ll be here.”

You gave her a small smile then relaxed, sleep overtaking you within a second. Natasha reached over for the book on your nightstand and read it to pass the time, only to be interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. Quickly answering the call so it wouldn’t wake you, she didn’t bother reading the number’s name.

“Hello?” said Natasha, both curious and suspicious.

“(Y/n), are you okay?”

Natasha could instantly recognize Peter’s voice and smiled.

“She’s fine, Peter. Just sleeping.”

“O-oh. Hi, Ms.Romanoff. Er, thank you. I-I’ll get going now-”

“Actually,” interrupted Natasha, “are you busy right now?”

“Uh…. Not really, why?”

“Could you come over to the tower and keep (Y/n) company while I… take care of some things?” asked Natasha, her mind returning to Tony.

“Um, sure. Give me 10 minutes.” responded Peter. And true to his word, Peter arrived quickly before opening the bedroom door with a little too much force. The door slammed shut with a loud bang, prompting Natasha to give him a stern glare while Peter mouthed that he was sorry.

“As long as (Y/n)’s asleep, it’s fine.” whispered Natasha as she stood up.

“Too late.” you said, forcing yourself to open your eyes and smile at Peter.

“Hey, Peter.”

Peter smiled back.

“Hi (Y/n), how are you- OH MY GOD, WHO HIT YOU?”

Peter immediately rushed to your side, carefully sitting on your bed before stroking your cheek tenderly. You blushed under his intense gaze but waved him off.

“It’s nothing-”

“It was Tony.” interjected Natasha, causing Peter to turn around.

“What? Mr.Stark? But why did he-”

Natasha ignored his question and instead smiled.

“Speaking of him, I need to go take care of the…. ‘other things’ now. Stay with (Y/n), would you?”

Peter smiled softly at you.

“Of course.”

* * *

“Where’s Tony?” asked Natasha, confused as she look around the living room. Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

“Locked himself in his room the moment you two left. I think the gravity of the situation hit him after the two of you left the room.” responded Steve, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

Natasha bit her lip, unsure of what else to say.

“Tried talking to him?” asked Natasha as Steve poured himself a strong cup of coffee. He looked at Natasha for a brief moment, asking her if she wanted any, prompting Natasha to shake her head in refusal. Steve sighed, watching the coffee drain as he spoke.

“Emphasis on tried. Won’t let anyone get through to him.”

“And the rest of the team?”

Steve downed the cup of coffee in one gulp.

“Gone. Clint’s spending time with his family, Bruce and Thor are on a mission. It’s just you, me and Tony I’m afraid.”

“...I’ll try to talk some sense into him.” announced Natasha, causing Steve to give her a sympathetic smile.

“Good luck. I’ll be in the training room if you need me.”

* * *

Natasha knocked on Tony’s door three times, her knuckles turning white at the force with which she was knocking on his door. Tony didn’t respond, prompting Natasha to instead pound on the door with her fists.

“Whoever it is, I’m not interested in talking.” shouted Tony, exhausted.

“But you’re interested in drinking?” retorted Natasha, already knowing that Tony was probably drinking himself to death out of guilt. Her comment drived Tony to open the door cautiously, his eyes red from crying and his room a mess.

“How did you know?” croaked out Tony. Natasha shook her head in disapproval and forced the door wide open, stepping into his room while trying not to trip over the mess of clothing, broken glass and empty bottles of alcohol. Sighing, Natasha picked up a newspaper from his nightstand and began to clean up the broken glass, scraping it onto the sheet before tossing it away in a nearby trash can.

Tony remained silent, only watching as Natasha cleaned up the havoc in his room- all products of Tony taking out his anger on his room moments ago. That anger, however, felt nothing compared to the immense amount of guilt picking at him constantly. Tony looked down at his hands with shame- the same hands that had struck you in a blind rage.

“...I hope you’re regretting it.” said Natasha, standing up after getting rid of the last piece of glass.

Tony let out a choked sob.

“How the fuck could I not? Natasha, I…. I **hit** her. I became her mother.”

Tony felt his legs give out as he collapsed onto the floor, the waves of internal anger and guilt overwhelming him. He didn’t bother hiding the tears as they flowed, his voice cracking as he spoke.

“I… I hit her, Natasha. I hurt her. As if I didn’t fuck up already, I-I hit her.”

“Tony-” started Natasha, only for him to interrupt.

“I-I didn’t mean to hurt her. I never wanted to hurt her. B-but I-I was just so angry and so… blind that I struck her without thinking.” muttered Tony, tugging at his hair while he rocked himself back and forth. Tony had never felt so broken or useless in his life, his demons were starting to overpower him and claw at his insecurities of being a terrible father.

Natasha felt her heart break at seeing Tony’s state, prompting her to kneel down and place her hand on his shoulder.

“I know, Tony. I know that you were just worried and it was at the heat of the moment.”

Tony shook his head sideways, ignoring Natasha’s reassuring response.

“I-it doesn’t matter, Natasha. I hurt her. S-she’ll never forgive me.”

Natasha sighed internally then sat on the floor, looking at Tony with sincerity.

“Tony, I know you’re scared. But I know that you’re a good man and that your mistakes do not- and never will- define you. Just… please. I don’t know how you feel but-”

“I feel… **lost**. I’m not sure how I’m gonna fix this.”

Tony cried once more, his resolve breaking down as he fully sobbed. Natasha’s heart ached at seeing her friend suffer, and just as she did with you, she slowly embraced him into a hug and let him cry. Tony gratefully accepted the warm embrace, his heart feeling like it was being split into a million pieces as he cried.

“I-I d-don’t know how to fix this.” repeated Tony, sobbing.

Natasha held him silently, unable to give him a response.

 

**Tony didn’t know how to fix it.**

 

**And neither did she.**

**\---------------------**

Note: Recently, I have gotten some comments both on here and on my tumblr (@marvelsswansong) of people telling me I ruined the series for them by writing Tony this way. I'm sick and tired of having to defend MY interpretation (and based on feedback, a majority of people's interpretation) of Tony to people online. I am absolutely fine with people telling me "I personally don't think Tony would do that" and "could you explain why you made Tony hit his daughter? I think it was uncharacteristic" but I am NOT okay with people yelling at me online, insulting me by saying I ruined the entire series for them and that I didn't get anything right. There is a difference between feedback and being mean. So if you don't like the way I wrote Tony in this chapter, I would ask that you read the next one before you make up your mind. I'd also ask that you keep in mind Tony is flawed, he's human, and he can be susceptible to emotions and mistakes like everyone else. And if you still don't think I did him justice, that's fine. But please DO NOT LEAVE MEAN COMMENTS. I will delete them as I am tired of being attacked for a fucking fanfic. Feel free to stop reading if you don't like this series cause I ruined it for you or whatever. I rather you do that then leave me hate comments :) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....
> 
> I know this was really sad and angsty but imo THIS IS MY BEST CHAPTER YET! Ugh I love this chapter, it's my personal favorite so far. Find out the resolution and the fluffy hugs that follow this chapter next time :D
> 
> PLEASE LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED, GO CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR @marvelsswansong. (I changed my username lel)
> 
> \- Summer xoxo


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the light of Peter's comfort, new feelings are revealed and your relationship with him is taken to a whole new level. Meanwhile, Tony notices your absence as you make a conscious effort to avoid him or any of the Avengers and worries about how to apologize. 
> 
> *SO MUCH FLUFF IN THIS CHAPTER MY TEETH ARE ROTTING

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALRIGHT!
> 
> So some of you might be like: Summer wtf where were you?
> 
> In short, I'm 17 and a senior in high school. I was stuck studying for 5 APs, an online course, filling out college applications and studying for the SAT all at once. I also kept running my tumblr blog in the meantime where I posted some other written works to fill the gap, so needless to say I was fucking busy busy busy.
> 
> But it's fall break so I took advantage of this free time to finish this chapter.
> 
> PLEASE LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED, AND GO CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR IF YOU WANT: @marvelsswansong.  
> \- Summer xoxo

You hissed as Peter gently pressed the ice pack against your cheek, the cold material soothing the ache while almost numbing Peter’s fingers. He held on to it, however, being far more concerned about your pain instead of his own. A few seconds before Peter gently pulled back his arm and instead brought up his warm hand to stroke your abused cheek, feeling the coolness of your skin from the ice pack. 

“You alright?” asked Peter softly, trying to look into your eyes. You, however, only avoided his gaze and looked downwards at the floor, trying your best to not cry in front of him.

“Y-yeah.” you replied, forcing yourself to speak. Peter didn’t look very convinced and wordlessly grabbed a small kitchen towel from the rack, proceeding to then wrap it around the ice pack before pressing it back onto your face. You quietly whispered a thanks but continued to stare down at your lap, prompting Peter’s guilt to only worsen.

“I’m sorry.” he whispered, causing you to finally look up at Peter.

“For what?” you questioned, confused.

Peter lowered his arm and took in a deep breath.

“This was all my fault. I-I shouldn’t have asked you to stay over at my house. Because you did, Mr.Stark got mad and now you’re hurt-”

Peter couldn’t stop his voice from cracking as he stumbled over his last few words, the guilt and the pent up emotions starting to break through from his control. You noticed his resolve dissipate and quickly grabbed his hand, causing Peter to look up at you.

“Peter, this wasn’t your fault. At all. It was my fault in the first place for going out of the tower when I knew it wouldn’t be safe. You saved me from being kidnapped, you tried to cover for me when Tony questioned us and now you’re taking care of me….”

You paused, suddenly unsure of what to say. You definitely wanted to thank him, but as you were speaking it dawned on you that Peter had been consistently so sweet with you and so generous, despite the fact that he really didn’t need to.

“Peter…” 

“Yeah?”

“Why are you so nice to me?” 

Peter cocked his head in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

You took in a deep breath and shrugged, running your hand through your hair anxiously while speaking.

“I-I mean, you didn’t have to do any of this. You could’ve not been my friend, you could’ve told Tony the truth, you could’ve refused to come tonight to keep me company. But every single time you can back out, you don’t. You’re always taking care of me… Why?” 

Peter drew in a slow breath before shaking his head and giving you a small smile.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

You lowered your head in shame and mumbled.

“Because no one ever cared about me.”

Peter’s heart broke at your comment and he quickly brought his hand to cup your face, tilting it up to look at him. You slowly raised your eyes to meet his, his eyes filled with warmth and a sincere smile on his face that you hadn’t seen before.

“(Y/n), I… I do these things because I care. About you. I-I really care about you.” said Peter slowly, a blush creeping up to his cheeks. Suddenly feeling hot, he retracted his hand and starting to apologize profusely.

“Sorry, I meant-”

You cut his rambling off immediately.

“I care about you too.” 

Silence settled in the room as the two of you just looked at each other, both of your heartbeats quickening and cheeks flushing as you two unknowingly leaned closer to each other. Peter’s eyes darted from your eyes to your lips, the look in his eyes subtle but not unnoticeable. He swallowed his doubts and coughed, attempting to calm himself down before speaking.

“(Y/n).”

“Yeah?” you asked, breathless. 

“C-can I kiss you?”

You could feel your heart stop and your brain freeze at his question, suddenly being at a lost for words. Peter’s eyes continued to gaze into yours as you slowly nodded yes, not wanting to speak in fear of stuttering. Peter’s hand slowly outstretched towards yours, his fingertips trailing up your arm as he leaned his closer and his lips finally met yours.

You found yourself melting into the kiss and pulled Peter in closer by his collar, not ever wanting the kiss to end. After a few more heated moments, you loosened your grip and Peter pulled down his hands from your face, leaving the two of you to stare at each other in silence. Both of your cheeks were flaming red from the kiss, with your breaths the only sounds in the room. 

“T-that was-” Peter started, only for you to interrupt.

“A-awesome.”

Peter nervously chuckled.

“Yeah, super awesome.”

The two of you quietly laughed, causing the tension to lift in the room and instead be replaced by tranquility. 

“So, um… Does this mean that we’re boyfriend and girlfriend?” you questioned, causing Peter’s blush to worsen.

“Y-yeah. I-I mean, unless you don’t want to, which is perfectly fine cause I want to respect your decision-”

You rolled your eyes playfully and pulled him in for another kiss, effectively cutting of the rest of his sentence. When you pulled away, Peter looked dazed and you giggled before lightly pushing him backwards onto the couch.

“Stop talking, Peter. Of course I wanna be your girlfriend.”

“Oh. Okay! Um, awesome!” said Peter a little too earnestly. 

A few more moments of silence passed before Peter held up the ice pack again.

“Are you sure you don’t need this anymore?” he asked with a concerned tone.

You laughed and instead pulled Peter towards you, causing him to fall onto your side of the sofa.

“I’m sure, Peter. Besides, I think cuddling is going to cure my pain much faster than some ice pack.”

Peter wordlessly nodded and moved his arm so you could lie down next to him, allowing you to turn on your side and snuggle right into the crook of his arm. His hesitance was gone as he wrapped his arm around you, pulling you closer towards him in fear of you rolling off the sofa. 

“This okay?” whispered Peter, looking down at you. 

“It’s perfect.” you mumbled quietly.

Peter lowered his head slightly so it could rest on top of yours, the scent of your shampoo intoxicating and also calming him to sleep. You fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat as Peter pressed a light kiss on your forehead, watching you sleep before also falling asleep, a huge smile on his face as he did so.

* * *

Tony hadn’t seen you for almost five days.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t try to see you immediately- in fact, after two straight hours of crying and Natasha holding him back from throwing more things around his room, the fog of guilt around Tony's mind lifted enough for him to drag himself up to your floor but to no avail. You had locked him out, and JARVIS forbade Tony from even being able to take the elevator up to your floor.

So instead Tony was stuck sitting in the living room for the rest of the night, his eyes wandering to the elevator every time the familiar ringing noise echoed through the room- hoping to see you step out of the metal box for whatever reason.

He waited, but you never came.

Tony did see Peter on the first floor of the tower next morning, however, giving Tony a bit of hope as he quickly dropped everything he was holding and called out to Peter.

“Peter! Hold on, Peter!”

Peter stopped walking and slowly turned around, a certain iciness in his eyes that Tony couldn’t quite place. Tony gave him a small smile which Peter didn’t return, something that sincerely surprised Tony. The same kid who adored Tony and the same kid who tripped over his feet whenever he met someone he admired was now suddenly silent, his lips pursed and his jaw slightly clenched. Tony felt himself take a deep breath before speaking, not used to seeing Peter on edge.

“Have you seen (Y/n) lately?” he asked, desperate. 

“Yes. I was just with her.” 

Peter’s tone was firm, missing all the usual admiration and warmth that he often spoke with to Tony. 

“Can you let me see her? Just for a few minutes.” 

Tony felt partially foolish for practically begging Peter, but he was really desperate. He knew that there was no way to be able to enter your room without a passcode that he didn’t know, and the only possible solution was that Peter would convince you to let him in. Unfortunately for Tony, Peter inhaled before huffing and shaking his head sideways.

“I can’t do that, Mr.Stark.”

Tony wasn’t sure whether he wanted to scream at Peter and demand entry or completely break down on the spot, so he instead bit his lip and tried his best to prevent his voice from cracking.

“Why not?”

Peter saw the raw pain in his mentor’s eyes and his cold facade slipped for a moment, suddenly realizing just how much Tony was suffering. Shaking his head sideways once more, Peter stepped backwards and gave Tony an apologetic smile.

“I-I can’t do that, Mr.Stark. I’m really sorry. I-I promised (Y/n).”

With that, Peter took off running and Tony didn’t bother to stop him, far too emotionally exhausted and hopeless to argue with a lost cause. Running a hand through his hair in frustration, Tony stumbled back to the elevator with panicked questions running through his mind. Were you alright? Had you eaten yet? Why wouldn’t you let him see you?

Tony couldn’t help but worry about you as he begrudgingly dragged himself back to the living room, only to see Natasha placing a single pizza box onto the elevator before the doors slid shut.

“What are you doing?” asked Tony, prompting Natasha to turn around with a sigh.

“(Y/n) won’t let anyone go up to her room, so… I’m sending her something to eat through the elevator.”

Tony took in a sharp intake of breath in response- if you weren’t even allowing Natasha to come talk to you, what chance did he have? Noticing the internal conflict going on in his mind, Natasha placed a reassuring hand onto his shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much about it, alright? It’s getting late, you should go to sleep. You’ll see her tomorrow before she goes to school.”

Natasha gave Tony a gentle pat on his shoulder before walking off, leaving Tony alone to ponder with his thoughts. He could feel his eyes starting to droop and his vision starting to blur, his body begging for sleep after the exhaustive rollercoaster of a day he had. 

Tony debated what to do but first decided he needed some sleep and stumbled up to his room, falling onto his bed with a loud groan. He lazily rolled over and stared at the ceiling, his anxious thoughts starting to tear at his consciousness with every waking second. 

_ ‘Maybe she needs some time. She’ll talk to me, I mean, she has to. I’ll run into her, and then I’ll give her my apology.’ _

With that thought replaying in his head, Tony was lulled off into a dreamless sleep.

And that had been four days ago.

Tony now hadn’t seen you in five days, and it was even worse knowing that you were just a couple floors away from him- being so close yet so far away from him.

Your absence was notable everywhere Tony went, as he began to see dirty dishes in the dishwasher, empty spots in the cabinets and half-closed doors around the tower. You were like a ghost, walking in and out of the many rooms of the Avengers Tower, leaving marks of your presence wherever you went but simply never showing up.

Tony was going crazy but he knew that his hands were tied. What else could he do? You were simply shutting everyone else out. His previous attempts of begging Peter for entry or trying to get past JARVIS failed, so what else could he do?

**He was hopeless.**

Tony then proceeded to shut himself in his lab, engrossed in his work and foregoing sleep and food for work. He became a raging workaholic, working into the late nights and early mornings and refusing to come outside for even a few minutes. In fact, when Steve tried to get Tony to come outside for some breakfast, Tony snapped at Steve and slammed the lab door in his face. 

It worked out until the seventh day, when Tony suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his stomach, his hunger prominent and attacking his frail state. Tony only gritted his teeth and tried to pick up his tools again but found himself unable to do so, the lack of sleep and sustenance starting to affect even his most basic functions. 

“JARVIS, what time is it?” croaked out Tony, placing a hand on the table to steady himself.

“3am, sir. It has also been 2 days, 4 hours, and 36 minutes since you last slept-”

“Shut it, JARVIS.” snapped Tony, not wanting to hear it. Grumbling, Tony stumbled out of the lab and into the kitchen before opening the refrigerator and chugging an entire liter of milk and taking out some cold pizza that he assumed were leftovers from last night. Shutting the door, Tony placed the food onto the desk and spun around, only to almost drop it all when he saw who was in front of him.

“(Y/n)?”

* * *

You had been doing so well.

7 days of no contact with any of the Avengers, just as you planned. The only person you let into your personal life was Peter, since he was the only one you felt completely comfortable around. And now that he was your boyfriend, you felt at ease and almost happy when you were around him.

Peter was wonderful- he kept his promise that he wouldn’t allow any of the Avengers up to your room, helped you sneak out of the tower so that you could get to school on time, and brought you random gifts like flowers and chocolates when you were feeling especially down. You knew that he was concerned about your mental state but you simply waved him off, promising that you would talk to Tony soon and that all of this would then be resolved.

_ 'If only it was that easy.' _

The incident plagued your mind, and the very presence of any of the Avengers was enough to trigger the memories of that day. The burning pain on your cheek, the harshness of Tony’s words, the pure force with which you were struck…. It was a familiar pain, far too familiar from having an abusive mother, and it was a pain that you wanted to forget.

So instead of talking it out or seeking comfort, you simply shut out all the Avengers and distracted Peter, promising him that you were going to talk to Tony soon. You, of course, had no plan at all to do so. You were content with ignoring your problems, from not having to smile and say: “I’m doing fine, you don’t need to worry.” Furthermore, you knew that if you ran into any of the Avengers they would drag you up to Tony’s room immediately, and that was honestly the last thing you wanted.

It was currently 3am on a Sunday night.

Absolutely no one was ever in the kitchen during this time. And since you were feeling a bit hungry, you decided to sneak downstairs and grab something to eat before quickly coming back to your room.  You stepped off the elevator tenaciously and rounded the corner towards the kitchen- only to be met with the sight of Tony closing the refrigerator.

“(Y/n)?”

You were too shocked to say anything at first so you remained still, just as Tony stayed frozen- it felt as if he was seeing you after a whole year. A few moments passed before panic rose back into your throat and you quickly ran in the other direction, prompting Tony to run after you.

“(Y/n), please, wait-”

You ran into the closest room you could find, which happened to be a broom closet, before locking the door and running to the corner of the room. Tony tried to open the door and then tried to knock, begging you to let him in.

“Please, (Y/n), open the door-”

“Go away! You’re just going to hurt me again.” you yelled, tears now streaming down your face. 

Tony’s knocks subsided before he stepped back, your fearful comment causing guilt to pierce his heart.

“Okay, um, okay. Y-you don’t have to open the door, okay? I promise I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to.”

A few seconds passed before you responded, your voice quiet and hesitant.

“...Really?” you whispered, not believing him.

Tony nodded furiously.

“I promise. Just, please, let me talk to you. Five minutes, max, it’s all I ask.”

You could sense the desperation in his voice and felt yourself give in.

“Fine. Five minutes.”

Tony sighed in relief. 

“(Y/n), I’m so sorry. It was completely wrong of me to hit you. I let the lack of sleep, stress and my fear of losing you get the best of me and I h-hurt you. And sweetheart, that’s the last thing I would ever want to do.”

Tony swallowed back his tears and forced himself to continue, knowing that he only had a few more minutes to convince you.

“When, uh, when I first found out that you existed, I was shocked.... To say the least. I mean, I just always thought I was going to be one of those sad rich guys who dies alone, you know?” said Tony, giving a short sarcastic scoff at the end.

You, on the other hand, was taken back- where was Tony leading with this?

“More than that, I-I was scared. I wasn't father material, and I doubt I’ll ever be. I drink, I party, I spend ridiculous amounts of money, I sleep around and I guess I save the world once in a while. And I was pretty sure that my life was just that. That was it and I was getting pretty comfortable with it until you came around and-”

Tony took in a deep breath to calm his nerves before continuing. 

“(Y/n), you made my life so much better. I know that we haven’t had much time together but secretly I’ve always wanted a kid. Especially a daughter, you know? Get to tease her about being a daddy’s girl, do all the cute things a dad’s supposed to do for his daughter, be there for all her big milestones…”

Tony ran his hand through his hair to distract himself from the fact that he was starting to cry, drawing in another shaky breath before continuing.

“Point is, I’m so sorry that I missed them all. I’m so sorry that I never was there for your first words, your first walk or your first day of school…. And I’m even more sorry that you had a horrible mother who never deserved you. You deserve everything in the world and more, sweetheart. A-and though you deserve much better than me, a shitty father who hurt his own daughter, I want you to know that I love you so much and I’m so sorry. And if you ever somehow forgive me, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

Tony ended his speech and just stood there for a few seconds, a part of him foolishly expecting you to open the door and forgive him. You remained silent, however, so he shook his head sideways and turned around- ready to go back to his room and wallow in pity.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, you were just barely beginning to process everything Tony had said. You were so sure that he was an asshole. An egotistical, money hungry, anger fueled bastard. Someone who never wanted you and only accepted his role as your father in fear of being ridiculed by the media. 

But based on everything Tony just confessed, it dawned on you that you had him out all wrong. That just maybe, your father was a lot more complicated and a lot more human than you thought. 

Tony only got a few steps ahead before he heard the broom closet door creak open.

“Wait.” you called out, causing Tony to stop in his tracks.

Tony turned around slowly, remaining frozen in fear of doing something wrong. You gave him a watery smile before running up to him and hugging him tightly, the action catching Tony off guard as you buried your face into his chest.

**“I forgive you… dad.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT FINALLY HAPPENED!
> 
> TONY WAS FINALLY RECOGNIZED AS THE READER'S FATHER!!!! And Peter and reader kissed, so that's cool. Haha but for real though so many major steps were taken in this chapter and I'm SO excited to finally have the Peter and the reader dating and be able to write the father daughter relationship between the reader and Tony in detail. I also missed writing a shit ton of fluff, so this was a pleasure to write.
> 
> Sorry that this chapter was a bit short. I was gonna write more but then I wouldn't have anything to write in the next chapter, would I?
> 
>  
> 
> PLEASE LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED, AND GO CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR IF YOU WANT: @marvelsswansong.  
> \- Summer xoxo

**Author's Note:**

> Was it good?  
> Was it bad? (If it was, don't be an asshole in the comments)
> 
> DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS IF YOU ENJOYED!
> 
> And go follow me on tumblr: @marvelsswansong. 
> 
> \- Summer xoxo


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